Captivated
by Carowen
Summary: He haunted her day and night. Visions of a strange man with a metal arm had been in her head as long as she could remember. Kara was a clairvoyant, but she didn't see what would happen when she decided to go after the Winter Soldier. (Bucky/OC)
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second Marvel fic, but my first Captain America (Bucky) fic. I hope you like it and you can find it on Tumblr on my Marvel blog - marvelmistress2015. Enjoy.**

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Kara was looking at the perfect skyline, the cloudless day showing off the bluest of skies. Since moving to Washington, D.C., walking in the park had become one of her favorite things to do. She suddenly heard a commotion off in the distance and as soon as she turned to see what was going on, it hit her again. It was the same searing pain that always knocked to her knees. The pain that blinded everything but the visions that were flashing through her mind.

It was him, the man with the silver arm. This time was different, she felt his confusion, his pain. She felt like screaming and ripping something apart. When her vision flashed to those sorrowful blue eyes, she saw something she didn't expect. Fear. This man with his brooding eyes and solemn face had haunted her since she was ten. She knew him just about as well as she knew herself.

Being a clairvoyant wasn't something she planned, just a little family secret that became her birthright. Being the oldest daughter, this gift was hers, sparing her little sister Jenny. The strange thing about her visions were that they were all about one person, never a glimpse of her family or her friends. Just the future of man she didn't know.

Today was different. Before, she had always seen his future, what he would do, who he would kill and days later she'd hear about some dignitary or leader of some country being killed. She lived in his nightmare, locked in this hellish world right along with this lost man. Now she was feeling what he was feeling, seeing him in what seemed like real time. As soon as the pain had passed, she looked up to see three large aircrafts in the sky, fire billowing from them in all directions. The Federal Building in the background was where her sister worked, the building that was in the path of the destruction. She rose up to her feet and began to run.

People were running away from the chaos, but she was racing straight into the mouth of the beast. "Jenny!" she shouted over the sound of metal creaking and crumbling walls. She made it to the bridge when another vision hit her hard. She was disabled within seconds, lying on her side like a whimpering child.

A blonde man came into view, his bleeding body lying on the glass of the aircraft. "You're my friend."

"You're my mission," said the silver armed man.

She felt his confusion, his doubts plaguing him until he heard the final words from the blonde man. "Then finish it. Because I'm with you until the end of the line." At that moment the glass broke and so did her mystery man. He looked down at the man that called him friend and watched him fall into the water. The next thing Kara saw was the blonde man being dragged to the bank and her mystery man walking away. As the vision faded, she heard his name come to her as if it was whispered in her ear.

Bucky.

She opened her eyes just in time to see her vision playing out, the man falling from the aircraft and the other diving in after him. The building behind her was starting to crumble, but she was powerless to move. Kara was riddled with fear for her sister who may still be in there or worse, already dead.

She stood in place, watching the rubble of the building that was once the place of her sister's job come to a rest on the ground. Knowing she didn't have a chance of saving her sister, she pulled herself to her feet. Kara walked towards the last place she saw the soldier, this Bucky, when her cell phone started to ring.

"Oh God, Jenny, are you okay?" she said in a rushed breath of relief.

"Yes. Where are you?" her sister asked as she sobbed.

"I'm safe. Go home and I'll come see you as soon as I can. Love you little sis," she ended the call and began to run. She needed to see him with her own eyes. Needed to know she wasn't totally crazy. As her sneakers hit the pavement, she pushed her body, giving it all she had to get to this silver armed man before he vanished. As she approached the water's edge, she saw him and he stopped and stared at her as if he knew her. The coolness of his blue eyes knocked her backwards as he stared back at her, his dark hair hiding his face, before he turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" she screamed at him, but knew he wouldn't. She would find him, would find out what it was about him, what her visions were trying to tell her. The blonde man on the bank started to come to and she knelt down beside him. "Stay still. I'll call for help."

The moment she laid eyes on him and the star spangled costume he wore, she knew he was none other than Captain America. He reached up to her, whispering one name. "Bucky."


	2. Chapter 2

As Kara sat there waiting for the ambulance, the pandemonium had settled down. The sounds of death and chaos had calmed, leaving an eerie stillness all around.

She checked the man beside her from time to time, making sure his pulse was still strong. He looked fit, but then again, he's Captain America.

"Captain, help is coming," she whispered as his eyes fluttered open.

The sound of a gun clicking took her by surprise, the sound coming from directly behind her.

"Get away from him," the female voice commanded.

Kara raised her hands as she climbed to her feet. "He's alive. I just found him like this."

She turned to see a ginger goddess in black leather walking towards her. "Who are you?"

"Kara Bennett," she answered quickly, seeing the redhead's brows furrow.

"You know Jenny Bennett?" she asked as she lowered the gun to her side, placing it back into its holster. She knelt down next to the Captain, her fingers went to his neck and the tension in her shoulders softened before she looked back up at Kara, still waiting for an answer.

"She's my sister," Kara said as she backed up, looking for the footprints she was sure Bucky had left behind.

"Romanoff," she placed her gun back in the belt around her small waist. She was no doubt an agent for the organization Jenny worked for.

Kara didn't ask about Jenny's job. She knew she worked for the federal government as a computer expert. Jenny could write encryption code like nobody's business and had been snatched up right after graduating from M.I.T.

"Can I go?" Kara saw the look on the agent's face, the one that said she was about to get the third degree.

Romanoff walked over to her, giving her the once over. "Okay, but I'll be in contact."

Kara didn't wait for her to change her mind. She might be a personal trainer, but she was pretty damn sure Romanoff could kick her ass in a split second flat.

As she walked away, she looked for the footprints again. She saw Romanoff watching her and started to walk away a little faster.

When she got to her car, she began to fumble with her keys as another vision flashed before her eyes. It was just that a flash of those blue eyes she was familiar with. Instead of being cold and dead, they were softer and filled with unshed tears.

The vision was gone as quickly as it came, leaving her shaken a little. She looked at the pavement for her keys and that's when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, miss?" the voice boomed behind her, making her turn around swiftly. Standing there was a dark man with a long coat and eye patch.

"Yeah… thanks," she took her keys and climbed into her car. As she pulled away, she noticed he was still watching her.

Her silver Charger barreled down the freeway on her way to Jenny's apartment. The events of the day were playing over in her mind so much that she was at the apartment complex before he knew it.

Kara exited the car and Jenny was immediately at her side, hugging her hard. She wrapped her arms around her little sister and felt the gun tucked in the back of her pants.

"What is that for?" Kara asked as she pulled back.

"Protection. Did you think the agency didn't train all its agents, whether they're in the field or not. I work for some very serious people, Kar," Jenny looked back at her like this was every day news.

Kara took her hand and pulled her inside the building, stomping into her apartment.

"Why do you need a gun? You're a computer programmer." Kara sat on the couch, staring her little sister down.

"Don't, Kara," Jenny sat down beside her, hoping she'd let it go.

"You told me when you started working there, that I had to be careful with my ability. Mom told me this was a gift but you say people will want to use me or hurt me. I never asked you why, but I'm asking now. What do they do where you work?" the sisters just looked at each other, waiting for the other to talk.

Jenny rolled her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. She began to tell Kara about her job, what she really did for the agency. The word S.H.I.E.L.D. came up a few times and Kara remembered seeing it on documents through her visions.

When Jenny was done, Kara had a better understanding of what may have happened today. There was a terrorist group out there and she was sure the man she kept seeing was in the middle of that, possibly a pawn in this huge chess game.

To hear that Jenny's boss, Nick Fury, had brought her in to monitor the agency for suspicious activity, was telling in its own. Today could have gone really bad for a lot of people, including Jenny.

"Kara, stay out of this. Promise me," Jenny took her sister's hand, making her promise.

Kara picked up her keys and handed Jenny her cell phone. "Call Agent Romanoff for me. I know you know her."

"Why?" Jenny asked as he followed her sister out her car.

"Stay out of this, Jenny," she smirked back at her sister as she made the call.

"Memorial Hospital. She'll be waiting for you," Jenny handed her phone back to her, giving her a stern stare.

Kara took the phone with a smile and drove off. As soon as she pulled back into traffic she noticed a black SUV following her with heavily tinted windows.

She stayed on the road, parking by the curb across from the hospital. The SUV went into the parking garage and she made a mad dash for the entrance.

Agent Romanoff was waiting for her when she walked into the lobby. "Kara?"

"Where are we going?" Kara asked the agent walked ahead of her to the elevators. They got on and Romanoff pushed the fifth floor button.

"To see a friend," Romanoff answered her back.

"Is he alright?" Kara asked, thinking they were going to see the Captain America.

"He is, wanted to thank the woman that saved him," she answered back.

The doors opened and Romanoff stepped off, pulling Kara to an empty hospital room. "You weren't just there to see your sister. I watched the video from today. You looked up to the aircraft just as he fell, as if you expected it to happen then you showed up just where he was. You didn't pull him out of the water, you weren't even wet."

"I'm just lucky I guess. I did see him fall and guessed where he'd be. I was just being a good Samaritan," she turned to walk out of the room when Romanoff stepped in front of her.

"Kara Leigh Bennett, eldest child of Martha and Ben Bennett. Personal trainer at Jim's Gym and you work at the Vet Center in rehab. Born December 25, 1985, Brooklyn, New York," Romanoff finished as Kara just looked back at her.

"Is that supposed to scare me or impress me? It does neither." Kara walked out into the hallway and waited as the agent walked by her.

They walked to a room where two armed military guards stood by. "It's Natasha and I like you. You got guts, kid."

"Thanks," Kara said slowly, not sure if Natasha meant it.

The blonde man from the riverbank was sitting up in his bed, looking battered and tired. A younger black man walked around from the curtain as an R&B song began to play.

"Who's this?" the blonde asked and Natasha smiled at him.

"Sam… Steve… this is your savior, Kara Bennett," Kara blushed as they both looked at her, smiling and thanking her.

"It was nothing. I just stayed with you until Natasha arrived," Kara played it off, but the way Steve looked at her caught her attention. She could tell he was trying to place the puzzle pieces together and she was the last piece.

"Did you see him?" Steve asked her and she didn't know what to say. Natasha looked over at Steve, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Him?" Kara said back, trying to be blasé.

"Sorry. Thank you for staying with me and making sure I was alright. Maybe we can have coffee when I get out, as a thank you," Steve gave her a thousand watt smile that made his blue eyes sparkled, even in his current condition.

"Uh… sure. I think Agent Romanoff has my number," Kara smiled back at the smirking ginger and walked out the door.

As soon as he got to her car, she took a deep breath. Steve asked about him, about Bucky and she didn't know what to tell him. She had to keep her secret, but she had to find Bucky too. She wanted to save the man that had her locked in this hellish world, this perpetual winter and she had to do it before he was past saving.


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to thank all of you that are following and/or sent me a review. If one of you love what I'm writing, it makes my day. Thank you and enjoy.**

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A few days passed by as Kara waited for Steve to call her. She went back to work at the gym and Vet Center, all while trying to find clues on Bucky's whereabouts. She'd only had one vision since that day. One of him looking at his memorial at the Captain America exhibit. That vision came along with some very powerful emotions. He was so confused, so filled with turmoil that she sat there in the middle of her living room floor and cried for him. The horrors that had flashed in her mind since she was ten were enough to make anyone hate him, hate what he had put her through. She didn't hate him, she honestly pitied him. She could feel his struggle, the good man inside him at war with the soldier he had to be. There were years with no visions at all and she thought her ability had left her or he had died. The thought of him dying honestly scared her because of an attachment to him as strange as it sounded. Kara held the boxing bag for her client as she kicked away at it, shaking her thoughts of Bucky away.

"Okay. That's enough for today. I'll see you Friday," she picked up the hand towel and wiped the sweat from her face.

"You're good," a male voice spoke softly behind her. She turned to see Steve in jeans, a white t-shirt and brown leather jacket. She knew he was Captain America, but seeing him in street clothes was a little surprising.

"I'm not that good. Glad to see you back on your feet," she walked over to her gym bag and slipped a t-shirt on.

"You want to go get that coffee now?" he asked as his blue eyes smiled back at her.

"Let me get showered and I'll join you at Joe's," Kara pointed to the cafe across the road and he nodded back at her. She pulled her bag over her shoulders and hit the shower. One thought bounced around her brain as got cleaned up, was she a recon mission for him? After pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she took her gym bag and tossed it in the trunk of her car. Just down the street was the black SUV that had been following her for days. Kara ignored it and made her way over to the coffee shop where Steve was sitting with two cups.

"You look like a cream and sugar kind of girl," he said as she sat. A small smile curled up on her lips as she picked up the cup and tasted it.

"Not bad, but I like my coffee like my men... really sweet," she teased him a bit, trying to lighten the mood.

"I see. About that... did you see someone on the river bank with me that day? A man, about my height with dark hair... silver arm?" Steve looked at her as his fingers played with the handle on the cup.

"What if I did?" she asked back, watching his eyes widen.

"Did he say anything to you? Any information would be great," Steve looked like a kid at Christmas waiting for Santa to come down the chimney.

"I'm sorry. I'm in the dark right along with you," she reached for the sugar and brushed Steve's hand. The contact was like a jolt of electricity. A vision ripped before her eyes, sending hot jabs of pain through her brain. Kara dropped the sugar, spilling her coffee in the process.

"Kara?" Steve stood up and hovered over her.

"I'm okay, just clumsy sometimes," her teary eyes and pale face told another story, one that Steve saw through.

"What's really going on?" he asked as he sat back down. Kara gripped her napkin, searching her mind for a believable lie.

"I've seen him before. Before that day, I mean. I have very vivid dreams about him. I don't know why, I just do. He's always the same, never changing. Just knowing he's real and you're looking for him sort of shook me," she mentally patted her own back. The lie even sounded believable to her.

"Jenny said you're special. Maybe you have some link to him. If you see him again, please call me. I really need to find him," Steve stopped his words short, as if he wanted to say more.

"I will. Promise," Kara handed him her cell and he entered his information. She was looking for him too, and maybe she should trust Steve, help him find this man he seemed to care deeply about. Steve placed some money on the table and turned to go when Kara stopped him. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

"He is. Why?" Steve placed his hands on his hips, making Kara wonder if she'd asked the wrong thing.

"I can tell, is all. If my best friend or my sister went missing, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to find them. I'll call if I have any information for you," she felt a little guilty lying to him, but it was obvious to her he was having her followed.

They went their separate ways and she hurried back to her car. The vision had told her more than she ever hoped. She could see exactly where Bucky was going to be at and even when. There was only one problem, ditching her tail. There was only one way to do that and her sister was the answer. Kara put the Charger in drive and hit sixty as soon as she got on the freeway. The SUV followed her as expected and she drove to her sisters, doing her best not to raise any suspicion.

Jenny was checking her mail in the lobby when she pulled up. Kara waved at her as she walked in, looking over her shoulder for her chaperones. The SUV parked in the alleyway on the other side of the complex. Kara wasn't a government agent like her sister or had any special training, but she was one tough cookie and one way or another she was going to get to Bucky without the men in black finding out.

"What brings you by?" Jenny asked as she sorted through her mail. Kara smiled sweetly as she followed her sister up to her apartment.

"Was wondering if you're free Saturday. Maybe do a movie or something," Kara's green eyes darted from her sister to her foyer table where her car keys rested. Jenny placed her mail down and picked up the morning paper.

"Let me see's what's new. We haven't done girls night out in ages. This is a good idea, sis," Jenny walked over to her balcony, taking a seat as she finished her late lunch.

Kara peeked out the window and saw the SUV still parked there. She walked into Jenny's room and began to rifle through her closet. "Can I borrow a sweatshirt and hat? I didn't have time to get cleaned up at the gym and I need to run some errands." Her conscience was really giving her a good scolding, doing it in her mother's voice. 'Kara Leigh you know better than to lie to your sister and do it for a man you don't know. You're jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.'

"I hear ya loud and clear, mom," Kara said to the voice in her head.

Jenny came into the room with the newspaper, pointing to some romantic comedy. "It's got five stars and you love the lead actor. So, Saturday... dinner, movie and maybe go to Sedlow's for a few drinks?"

"Sounds good," Kara winked at her sister as she took the M.I.T. sweatshirt and hat from her closet. They were about the same height, the same build, and had the same auburn red tint to their hair. Kara's hair was a bit longer, but she'd keep it back in a ponytail through the hat for now. She darted into the bathroom to put on a little of her sisters makeup, toss on the sweatshirt and pull her hair back through the hat. "Hope this works."

"Jen, can you look for those black strap heels I love so much. I'd love to borrow them for Saturday," the lies were really starting to pile up and she knew she'd have to make amends for them later. Jenny nodded her head and started looking through her shoe collection. Kara swiped the keys from the foyer table and slipped out the balcony door. It was a good thing the apartment was on the second floor and she had taken those rock climbing lessons last year.

Once she was on solid ground again, she slowly made her way to Jenny's black Wrangler, unlocking it and sliding inside. "Dammit," she shouted, remembering she left her gym bag in her car.

She pulled it up to her car, the SUV pulled forwards from the alley, making her wince. "Don't blow it, Bennett." Kara pulled out her cell phone, placing a fake call to her sister. "Thanks for letting me borrow your gym gear, Kara. Love ya, sis." She tried her best to get that 'all business' tone that Jenny usually had, unless she was drinking.

After she put her phone back in her pocket, she retrieved her gym bag from the trunk and was on her way towards her next stop. Kara watched the SUV as she passed by and let out a sigh of relief when it didn't move. She was thankful that the hat hid just enough of her face to obscure her true identity. This cloak and dagger stuff was hard, she really didn't know how Jenny did it.

In the vision, she saw Bucky standing at the Wall of Valor for fallen S.H.I.E.L.D agents in the middle of the ruins of what used to be their headquarters. His fingers were tracing over his name etched there in the marble stable as the sun began to set behind him. She had just enough time to get there, hide her sister's car and find him. All the while, keeping the men in black off her ass. Across the river from headquarters, she parked the car in an underground parking garage and gave the attendant twenty to keep his mouth shut. She pulled her journal from her bag, the one she had doodled in and scribble on since childhood. Hopefully this would convince Bucky she was telling the truth and not some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent trying to get to him.

The sun had turned that late evening color of burnt orange as night approach to claim its light. Kara tucked her journal in the back of her pants and made the trek across what was left of the bridge. She saw two armed guards at the guard post that was still standing and ducked next to the railway. She stepped over the railing and clung to the side with all her might as she took tedious step after tedious step past the guards. They were in the middle of a shift change, so Kara took this as her chance to slip back onto the bridge and run full force towards the back of the building. Her lungs were on fire and her calves were burning when she finally rounded the shell of the building. The sun had begun to cast the shadows she remembered from her vision and there at the Wall of Valor stood a man with a military green jacket and hat on stroking a name on the wall.

Kara approached him slowly, extending her hands to show she meant no harm or carried a weapon. "Bucky?"

He turned to look at her, his blue eyes narrowed. "Kara?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Many thanks for all the follows** **and favorites. I hope you continue to enjoy this little story. A great big thank you to my Beta & PIC thejennakayshow** **.**

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Bucky turned to her with a look of acknowledgement. His eyes caught hers in the dimming light and she felt a shiver roll down her spine.

"You… know me?" she asked as she swallowed hard.

He turned back away from her to the wall, his hands now tucked in his jacket pockets. "I think so."

She slowly approached him as if he was a wounded animal. "You called me Kara. That's my name. How do you know my name?"

"I've heard that name in my dreams. They didn't know it, but I do. Frozen doesn't mean dead," he said so low she barely heard him at all. Kara stood right behind him, so close she could see how broad his shoulders were. Her hand wanted to reach out to comfort him, but she'd seen what he did to people that did just that.

"We're not safe here. We need to go," she started walking away and he took one more look at the wall, as if to say goodbye to some lost comrades.

He followed her out, but stopped her when she headed back towards the bridge. "Not that way." Her eyes looked around, trying to figure out which way was safe when he walked down a slope and into a secret tunnel that ran under the building and the river. They walked in silence as she walked behind him, following his lead. He never looked back to see if she was following him, almost as if he was sure she was. There was no sunlight when they exited the tunnel, just the flicking lights of the skyline out ahead of them. The cloudless night was showing its blanket of stars, giving the moment a serenity.

"Bucky, where are we going?" she asked as he kept walking towards the park.

"We?" he asked as he stopped and stared at her.

"Yes. We." Kara crossed her arms, her stubbornness choosing now to come out. The sound of a dog barking and metal rattling startled the both of them. Bucky instantly tensed up, going to a fighter's pose. Kara ran to stand in front of him, hoping she wouldn't see the carnage he could cause take place right before her.

She placed both of her hands up to him, like she could stop him. "Please. Don't. Let's go. I've got a car hid and we can go anyplace you want." He lowered his left arm, the one she knew was made of some impenetrable metal. There was no doubt if they didn't get out of there and right then, it would be death for someone. When he started to move his feet, she let out the breath she'd been holding. Jenny would no doubt be missing her by now and her car, she hadn't really thought that through. If she was going to sneak away in the dark of the night with public enemy number one, she'd need a car that wouldn't be traced, money not plastic and a place to hide him out.

She'd helped enough vet's with PTSD that she saw the signs of it on him. The stories that some of the vet's would tell her about their time in battle weren't even comparable to what she'd seen through her soldier's eyes. War was nothing new to her. Battle, blood and death had been a part of her life over the last twenty years. Perhaps she suffered some of the ill effects as well, carried some of his battle scars deep inside her, but all of that didn't matter right now. What did matter was he knew her, seen her… dreamed about her.

"Let's go," she waved her hand towards the underground parking garage and he jogged out ahead of her. The attendant she'd paid off earlier was still there, reading a magazine. She gave him another twenty to turn off the cameras and went on a search for a new vehicle. When she heard the sound of breaking glass, her lips curved up into a grin. Running towards the sound she saw Bucky standing at an old pickup truck, the passenger window broken out.

"How did you know what I was going to do?" she asked him, watching his lips twitch just slightly. He didn't speak as he climbed in the cab and began to hot-wire the truck. She jogged over to Jenny's car to grab her bag and rushed back to the truck that was barely puttering.

"Where to?" he asked her as he backed the truck out. She put her feet up on the dash and pulled out her phone.

"A little place I like to call 'the middle of nowhere'. Thank you… for trusting me," her emerald eyes darted up from the bright light of her phone and to the impressive profile of the man beside her.

"I don't trust people anymore," he practically growled out.

It was late summer, but it could have easily been early winter from the chill that was in the cab of the truck. They drove all night with Bucky turning when she told him to. She had turned off her phones GPS just in case her sister was trying to track her. Jenny was a federal agent with mad computer skills, which meant Kara had to dump her phone as soon as possible and get a burner phone. It's was nearly sunrise when they hit the graveled road that she was familiar with. Her grandparents had taken her here when she was a teenager, after her parents passed away. Jenny was always going off to some summer camp or genius squad meeting, while Kara was shipped off to the family farm in Calvert County. Kara was taking a chance that Jenny might remember this place, but she'd only been here once, when their grandfather had passed. Their grandmother had left the farm to Kara, but she kept that little bit of information to herself.

"A farm?" Bucky looked over to her, his eyes narrow and brooding.

"This place is so far out in the sticks, Waldo wouldn't find this bitch," she giggled to herself, finding her reference funny, but Bucky didn't.

"Waldo?" he stared straight ahead, pulling the truck up to the farmhouse.

"Sorry. Guess I'm not as funny as I thought. I've got a few things in my bag… money, MRE's and water. A girl can never be too prepared," Kara knew she was using her humor as a coping mechanism, especially when she was stressed and she was beyond stressed out.

Bucky exited the truck and began to check out the property. He checked the small barn, the storage shed before he joined her back on the porch. She pulled the key from the window sill and opened the door. He pushed her aside and walked in, instantly searching downstairs then upstairs. From the musky smell, she knew no one had been here in years. She had been sending a little money out to the neighbor, Mr. Belov. He kept the electric paid, check on the pipes in the winter and made sure the place didn't get broken into. The sound of Bucky's boots echoed into the living room where Kara was lighting some candles. "The electric is out. I'll have to check the breaker box." Bucky nodded to her, looking a little uneasy. She was about to take the flashlight out of her bag when he took her by the wrist, his metal grip hurting her.

"What?" she nearly shouted and he release her when he saw the flashlight instead of a gun. Kara rubbed her wrist where a red mark was already starting to show. Bucky looked at her very unapologetically. She glared back at him, wondering what the fuck she'd gotten herself into. Yes, she wanted to help him and yes, she felt like he could be helped but right now all she could see was the soldier, not the man she knew he was inside.

She placed the flashlight down and turned to him. Her five foot, six inch frame was nothing compared to his nearly six foot body. He was built like a brick house and as deadly as a cobra. None of this stopped her from standing just inches from him, looking him up and down.

"I'm not here to hurt you. You said you know me… dreamed about me," She said sternly, trying her best at being intimidating, "Then you should know I would never hurt you. Why did you come with me?" she slowly backed away from him and shuddered when his metal hand touched her wrist, lighter this time, no force or aggression in his touch.

"You stayed with me. I was cold. Locked away, but you stayed with me. Then I saw him… on the bridge. I remembered. To the end of the line. That's what he said," he sat down on the drop cloth covered couch, running his real hand through his long, dark hair.

Kara sat down beside him, restraining herself to not touch him. "Who said that to you?"

"I called him… Steve," he looked up at her, his bottom lip nearly trembling as his eyes teared up again. She couldn't stop herself from comforting him, from touching him, it was a surreal experience.

Her fingertips barely stroked his face, her thumb caressing his scruffy cheek as she locked eyes with him. "He's looking for you."

Bucky jumped up, walking quickly into the kitchen. Kara sat there as the sound of glass shattering and metal clinking filled her ears. He'd snapped and she needed to roped him back him. Something hit her, not a vision, but this raw emotion of pure fury. His pain was somehow her pain and it gave her the courage to go to him and call him out. "Sergeant Barnes!" she said rather loudly. She saw the name from her vision, the name his fingers kept rubbing.

Bucky froze, dropped the chair in his hand and slowly turned to face her. "Don't call me that. He's dead."

He barged passed her and up the stairs, leaving her standing there in the ruins of what was her grandmother's kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Many thanks for all the follows/favorites. I am loving the reviews so keep them coming. To my Beta - thanks for corrupting me and dragging me into your Marvel/Captain America world.**

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The house was quiet, the only sound was the wind blowing outside and the rustling of the leaves. Kara waited for him to come back down or maybe even hear more of his anger being taken out on her family's old house, but she didn't. She walked over to the pantry and pulled out her grandmother's old straw broom and began to sweep up the shards of glass. The table would need to be replaced as well as the two chairs. The windows were either shattered or cracked and the back door was barely hanging on its hinges. After sweeping up and moving the broken furniture out, she headed out to the shed for some nails and a tarp for the window. She was moving boxes around when she heard him speak, causing her to jump.

"Can I help?" he extended his hand, making sure to keep the metal one in his pant pocket.

Kara picked up her grandfather's rusty tool box and handed it to him. "You can talk to me. You don't have to destroy my house." Bucky took the box, giving her a nod. It was obvious he felt bad. He was really at war with himself, so she would be patient with him. That's what it was going to take to save him and herself. They walked back towards the house when a gentle rain began to fall. Kara started to giggle as she tilted her head back. Bucky stood there watching her, his eye taking in this simple moment of joy.

He started to remember something, a time when he could be that carefree, when his heart was so unencumbered. Watching her now as she let the rain trickled down her face, her smile, causing the dimples to show on her face, it stirred his thoughts and the dust on his heart.

Kara looked over at him and her smile faded. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he said softly as the corner of his lip lifted up. He gripped the tool box a little harder. The memories of laughing and one face in particular wouldn't leave him be. It was him, his mission. No… his best friend.

Kara ran back in the house laying the tarp on the stove and over to her gym bag. She pulled out her workout towel and began to dry her face and hair. Bucky placed the tool box down, watching her for a moment. It was her face, her sweet smile that kept him company in the cold. He wasn't sure how long he'd been dreaming of her, but it was the face he saw now that filled the darkness with light. Perhaps the cryogenic deep freeze wasn't working as well as it once did or maybe, just maybe... this girl was special. What he did next took them both by surprise. He walked over to her, turned her around and cupped her cheek with his flesh hand. Kara's green eyes were held wide with shock as his fingers moved from her cool cheek, across her jaw, over her chin and came to rest on her full pink lips.

"You said you dreamed of me?" she asked him, feeling the pads of his fingers graze her lips. His eyes were locked on her lips as she spoke, his heart picking up its pace. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, why she had moved him in such a way. All he knew was he had to touch her.

"Still do," the words came out slowly, as if he didn't mean to say them at all. Kara was afraid to move, afraid to say anything. His eyes were this crystal blue, like pools of shimmering water.

"Bucky," her body nearly melted to his touch. All the hate and loathing was gone from his features and she wanted him to stay just like this.

"Kara, don't move," his command froze her. Her body was as rigid as a board. His fingers left her lips and his hands fell to her waist. She wasn't sure what was happening, but her body was ready for something. His lips rested at her ear, the parched pads brushing her skin. "Stay here." Her body shiver, her core clenching and her cheeks flushing, betraying her current state of being.

Bucky moved so quickly she barely saw him run past her and outside. Kara ran to the door to see her neighbor, Mr. Belov standing by his truck talking in what sounded like Russian to Bucky. After regaining her senses, she walked out on the porch where a basket of fruits and vegetables had been placed. Mr. Belov walked up to the porch with Bucky as the two men seemed to size each other up. Misha Belov was in his seventies and was fit for a man his age. His white hair and mustache gave him a disguised quality, but his calloused hands told his real story.

"I was telling your young friend here that since your back, I'll help you fix up the place. He said he could do it, so I'll leave you two to it. Kara, if you need me, call." he turned to go and Bucky's eyes never left him. It was odd, the whole thing. Mr. Belov showing up, the two of them speaking Russian and Bucky being on guard with an old man.

She picked up the basket and Bucky took it from her. He emptied the contents out on the porch, looking the basket over.

"It's not bugged. He's my neighbor, my friend," she said with a chuckle.

Bucky stopped and tossed the basket in the yard. He held up a small silver disc that had been placed inside the rim. "No... he's not." He gripped her arm and pulled her inside. She grabbed her bag as he took the couple cans of food that were in the cabinets.

"Where are we going?" she asked him as he headed out to the truck.

"Some place I know," his words were cold now, his soft touch all but gone. Maybe in this new place would give him some solace, bring back the man she saw in her living room.

Kara tossed her bag in the back and jumped in the cab. Bucky reached over to her lap, taking her cell phone and crushing it. She was going to protest, but she was going to ditch it herself. They drove down back roads, dirt roads and one lane roads until they came to a fence that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Bucky jumped out of the truck, leaving it running and told Kara to get behind the wheel. She scooted over and watched as he ripped the chain off the lock and flung the gate open. She pulled inside and he jumped in the back. "Drive till you come to a lake."

The evening sun was sinking again and she'd been going on no sleep and no food. Exhaustion clung to her like a wet blanket, but she pushed on. As the lake came into view, Bucky tapped on the top of the truck. "Here." Kara stopped, killing the engine. She looked over the lake as it shimmered, reflecting the crimson of the sun.

"Where are we?" she asked as he jumped out the back and stood beside her.

"Home," he stated as he grabbed her bag and the box of provisions. They walked about a half mile to what looked like a concrete building. The very sterile look of it gave Kara chills that were soon followed by a vision. She felt the vision pull her down, jerking her feet out from under her.

Bucky saw her stall, looking at the military bunker he'd used for missions. The solitude of this place gave him what he needed and a place to regroup. This would be where he'd discover himself, find out about this girl and what all this mixed up mess in his head was about. He heard Kara gasped, then begin to fall to her knees. He dropped the items in his hands and knelt down beside her. Her eyes were wide open, her pupils blown and the green was an impossible shade of jade. Her hands began to shake violently as he placed his metal hand on her back. His other hand stroked her face as he watched her grow paler and paler. Without another thought, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her inside, kicking each door open. He laid her on the cot and knelt beside her.

Her hands shot out, taking fists full of his jacket. "Hydra," she said before she collapsed into sleep.

Bucky stood up, staring down at her. How did she know about Hydra? She was a complete mystery to him, one that he needed to get to the bottom of.

It was just past dark when Kara finally woke. She smelled beef stew and her stomach began to rumble.

"Bucky?" she called out to him and he came walking in with the food and water for her.

"You need to eat," he sat on the crate he'd placed beside her cot. She took the bowl of stew and the cup of water he handed her.

"Sorry about that. You have to know something," she said between bites, "I sort of have visions. I see the future... well... your future. I've only ever saw you."

He sat there looking at her, taking in each word. "You see me? What do you see?"

"Death. Lots of blood. You in pain. A lot of white lab coats. Just a lot of sadness," she sat the bowl on the cot.

"You must hate me," he lowered his head, his cap pulled low.

"No. I want to help you. You're different now. You... remember. That could only mean one thing. You're ready to take your life back," she licked her lips and scooted to the edge of the cot. Bucky looked up at her as she took his face in her hands and gave him a gentle kiss.

Kara was sure she needed that more than he did, but either way it had to be done. "I'm here for you, whatever you need."

His hand came up to cup hers, the metal so cold against her flesh. "What did you see? You said, Hydra."

"All I saw was a military truck with soldiers in the back and a skull with tentacles on the side. A man... Crossbones, he's looking for you. They know Steve is looking for you too. We have to call him. He can help." Kara's voice quivered as she thought of someone taking Bucky back and turning him into their own personal killing machine, again.

"Not yet. I'm not ready. He's not ready," Bucky pulled her hands from his face and pushed her back on the cot. "Get some sleep."

She watched as he lay on the hard, cement floor beside her, using his arm as a pillow. There was much work to be done and many miles to go before he was ready to see Steve again, but could she really trust that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't use him too.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm truly appreciative of all the follows & favorites. This story is just writing itself and I'm having a blast writing it. If you love Marvel and/or Captain America as much as I do, please give my Beta thejennakayshow Steve Roger's fic a read. Serendipity's Partner. Again... thanks for all the support.**

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Kara couldn't sleep. Worry plagued her mind, but her one and only concern at the moment was the man sleeping on the floor. She rolled over to her side, nearly leaning over the edge to watch him. Bucky had the jacket collar flipped to cover his face and the hat pulled down to cover his eyes. He began to move, jerking wildly. A nightmare had him pulled under, like a tidal wave crashing over a surfer. She contemplated waking him, but she'd had enough experience at the Veteran's Center to know better. It tore her apart to watch him battle his dream, his body sometimes balling up. She moved to set up when she heard him saying her name. Kara quickly crawled on the floor, kneeling beside him.

"I'm here, Bucky," she whispered, letting her hands linger over him. His thrashing had stopped as he flopped over to his back. There it was, that face that she'd seen covered so many times, exposed to her in the dim light of the room. He was beautiful with his strong jaw line accent by a dimpled chin, hooded eyes and expressive eyebrows that had relaxed at the moment. Kara leaned closer, letting her eyes roam to those lips that she remembered being soft against hers.

"Kara, stay," he murmured again, his hands reaching out for her. His fingers found purchase in her hair, threading through her long auburn locks and cupping the back of her head. Bucky gently pulled her to him, placing her head on his chest. "Stay. I need you to stay." Kara wasn't sure if he was still dreaming or if he had waken. Either way, she didn't want to leave him. Her body curled up next to his as he buried his face in her hair, his lips softly caressing it.

"I'm not leaving you," her hand rested on his stomach, feeling the impressive muscles underneath ripple. He took a deep, contented breath and released the hold he had. His body relaxed in her arms as she cuddled up to him. He needed her and in some way she chased away his demons.

The next thing Kara saw was the morning light beaming through the small window in the room. She lifted her head, finding herself back on the cot and Bucky gone. A panicked feeling gripped her, Bucky had left here there. Her bare feet hit the cool cement floor, her eyes looking for any signs he'd left. Her gym bag was in the corner, but there was nothing in the room of his. No hat, no jacket, nothing to calm her fears. Then a new fear squeezed the air from her lungs. What if those people that made him, found him?

Kara was on her feet and racing through the bunker. Her breathing was erratic, her eyes scanning wildly for Bucky. She had pushed her body to the limits hundreds of times, her heart thumping, her lungs pumping, and her muscles burning as she conditioned her body. At this moment, she was sure her body would fail her and her heart was going to burst within her chest. As she rounded the next corner, she saw something she wasn't really prepared for. There on a weight bench, no shirt, the evidence of the cruelty he had endured on full display, she saw Bucky lifting what had to be three hundred pounds easily. He placed the weight bar back on the pegs and sat up, his upper body glistening with sweat, his muscles flexing, his chest slightly heaving and those piercing blue eyes look right back at her.

"I thought…," she tried to find the words, but they were very much caught in her throat.

"What?" he asked as he stood up, causing her to look at his metal arm. He looked down at it, then back to her.

"Sorry. I was just curious about it. I've seen it before… seen what it can do," she walked over to the weight bench and he stood still, letting her get a better look at him. The metal came up to his left shoulder and across part of his chest were scars from where they must have attached the arm. A deep scar from an incision was, stood out as a thick pink line that rimmed his enhancement. It was as impressive as his real arm, rippled with muscles and totally destructive.

Kara reached to touch it, letting her fingers glide over the red star that he bore like a tattoo. He closed his eyes when her fingers slid from the metal to his flesh. No one except the doctors and scientist had touched him there, until her. Her touch was gentle, soft and pleasurable. He had never let anyone get this close to him, unless they were locked in battle. To be here with her like this, her curious fingers tracing his scars made him feel more like a man than a machine.

"Kara," he whispered and she tore her eyes from his arm to his face. She had gone into some trance, the metal and flesh married together in this deadly union was somewhat beautiful. He was beautiful and not just his body, but the way he was with her. He could have easily just walked away or told her to leave, but he didn't, he let her in.

"I'm sorry," she said back as she retracted her hand, but he reached over and took it in his.

"We have to be ready. They're going to come for me. I remember, but not enough. I need you to help me remember," his clear blue eyes looked lost and they match the sadness that was dripping from his face.

"What can I do?" Kara stood there just staring at him as he placed her hand on his cheek. She was so lost at how to help him, but she'd do near anything to stop his nightmares and end hers as well.

"I dreamed about… my past. I was a man once. I helped people. I had… friends," he tilted his face down and she stepped in front of him, still cupping his cheek. "That's because of you."

"Okay. Let me try something. You get dressed and we'll go outside," Kara walked back to the room they slept in to grab her gym bag. She tossed off the M.I.T. sweatshirt and t-shirt she had on underneath. She was slipping on a Jim's Gym shirt when Bucky walked in the room. He walked up behind her, stopping her from lowering the shirt completely. His hand went to the scar she had on her back, just above the top of her workout pants.

"How did you get his?" he asked as his finger felt the roughness. It looked like a bullet wound to him, but he wasn't sure.

"I was helping my dad work on the house when I got a vision. I fell backwards towards him when he was about to put a nail through a board. The nail gun fired, leaving me with this nice little reminder," she finished pulling down her shirt, feeling the goosebumps across her flesh from his touch. When she turned around, he was gone. She walked back out to the front room where his weights were and found him standing there just looking out the door. Kara stood beside him, resting her weight in the doorway. He had his shirt in his hand, his jacket and hat lying on the floor by the door.

"I did that to you. I'm a killer. That's what I do. That's all I'm good for," he started to put on his shirt when Kara tossed her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. His arms hung by his sides as his body turned to stone. Her hug was brief, but just enough to make him feel a little uncomfortable.

"You are a killer, but you are what they made you. This isn't the real you and I hope to prove that to you. My sister gave me this book by a Dr. Stephen Strange. It told of people with abilities of the mind and how to use them… how to control them. I've read it, studied it cover to cover. Bucky, I see the future, your future and recently I've started to feel your emotions and your pain. I think I'm an empath too. I'm going to try to see your past, link myself with you to help you find the real Bucky Barnes."

Bucky wasn't sure if he wanted her in his mind. Too many people had already mucked around in there, leaving him this cold, shell of a man. She had done nothing but show him kindness, giving him no reason to doubt her intentions. She should hate him for the horror he made her life, for the visions that caused her physical pain and the turmoil that he had brought to her life now but he could tell she didn't. It was as if she was a passenger on this journey with him and she saw Bucky where everyone just saw the Winter Soldier.

"Okay. We'll try," he went against his primal nature to trust no one but himself and walked out to the lake with her.

She sat at the edge of the water with her legs crossed beneath her and he sat down in front of her, doing the same. The sun was starting its ascent and the rays for the morning glow made her auburn hair look like little flickers of flame. Bucky hoped he could keep this memory, unlike so many others that had been wiped clean. Kara reached out taking his one hand in both of hers and concentrated on nothing but him. He squeezed her hand for some reason and this made her smile.

"Think about your past and let me see if I can unlock any doors for you," she said before closing her eyes. Bucky began to think of the flashes of memory he'd been granted and the one face that kept coming back to him, Steve's. Kara caught the image of Steve, seeing him on the aircraft with Bucky. Then a movie of Bucky's life, all the images she'd seen over the past twenty years slammed into her brain. She started to fall backwards when Bucky grabbed her with his other hand, holding her upright.

"To the end of the line," she said in a low voice. Bucky pulled her to him, holding her limp body in his arms, his hands pressed into her back. Her head rested on his metal shoulder as one more image played out slowly before her eyes.

Steve stood in the doorway of a train, his hand stretched out to Bucky as he clung to a bar on the side. Steve had this look of pure fear in his eyes as he tried to get to his best friend. Bucky reached out to him, but the bar broke and he went plummeting down into the snowy ravine. The one thing that Kara could hear as Steve's image faded from Bucky's view was Bucky saying… "To the end of the line."

"Kara, wake up," Bucky said to her as she lost the image and tears filled her eyes. She looked at the man that was holding her and all she wanted to do was take away all his pain and all he wanted to do was keep holding her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few hours were spent with Kara trying to tap into Bucky's past and him getting frustrated because it wasn't working. She could see what he had forgotten, what had been stolen from him, but she couldn't make him remember.

They sat there until Kara was near collapsing. She hadn't eaten all day and was in bad need of a shower. Bucky was pacing by the water's edge when she waded in knee deep, letting the cool water calm her. He watched her and the smile that slowly formed on her face. He would give anything to have that, to be able to feel happiness again.

"I'm starving and you need to eat too. We both need a shower and some rest," she stated firmly as she walked by him, taking his hand in hers. Bucky didn't mind her bossing him around, it was better than getting orders from his former handlers and locked in a freezer.

They walked back to the bunker when Kara noticed the two other buildings off in the distance. There were a few others that looked dilapidated, but two stood out among the rolling green landscape. "What are those?"

Bucky looked to where she was pointing, noticing the curious glint in her eyes. "Armory and Infirmary."

"We're on a military base?" Kara pulled him towards the closest building, seeing the padlock on it lying crushed on the ground.

Bucky pulled her behind him, walking in first. He went to a control panel on the wall, disarming the alarm and booby-trap he'd set. When he turned to the door, Kara was standing there looking a bit puzzled. "Something wrong?" he asked, she looked very unpleased. Kara pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

"Nothing. Just really wish my abilities would work when I want them to. Would be nice not to get blown to bits," her humor was once again lost on Bucky, so she decided to walk in and let him lead the way. The dripping of water leaking from rusty pipes got louder as they walked down a narrow corridor. Kara stepped over crates and boxes as they approached a door. The wheel lock on the door reminded her of one on a ship or a safe. Bucky gave it one spin, causing it to creak loudly as it swung open. Inside was an impressive collection of weapons. "Is this a Hydra facility?" Kara was about to panic. Did he really bring them to the one place Hydra could find them? She started to hyperventilate when Bucky placed his hands on her shoulders.

"No. This place doesn't exist and neither do I," he was being cryptic and she hated it. A faint memory came to her that she'd seen him here before. This was an abandoned base from the forties and hadn't been used much since then. That explained the fence and the signs that were plastered all around to stay out.

He walked over to the wall, taking down an AK-47, AR-15, and some Glock handguns. He placed four clips in his cargo pant pocket, after strapping the machine guns around his body. Kara watched as he took some round silver balls she could only assume were explosive and handed them to her.

She handled them as gingerly as possible, wondering what he planned on doing with all of this. The one and only answer was so obvious you'd have to be blind to miss it. He meant to take the fight to Hydra.

They walked back to the bunker and Bucky placed his newly acquired weapons in their joint sleeping quarters. The old cot wasn't much, but it was better than the floor. There had to be more than one cot in this place, maybe even a small bed.

She went on a mission to find some padding or blankets, leaving Bucky to play soldier. Her sixth sense warning system had been working on overtime since Bucky had been unfrozen. Hopefully, if Bucky were in danger or someone was to find them, it would save their collective bacon.

The bunker was small and probably used as an office of some type. The old desk and wires that hung from the ceiling looked like they were used for a telegraph system. The igloo shape was odd to her, but it looked like it could withstand a firefight.

It wasn't spacious at all. The front room had small windows that were rectangle, just enough room for a weapon to fit in and the door was a thick metal. Bucky had a weight bench, a table and a few crates stacked in the corner. In the next room where a cot, a chair, and another table. Walking down the small corridor, she came to the last two rooms, both small in space. The shower room was just that, a shower in the middle of the room with no curtain or walls, a toilet, sink, and a wall mounted cabinet with one discolored towel. The other room was full of old filing cabinets and old fashion writing desks.

Kara began to open the cabinets, finding them all empty. The storage locker in the back held some promise, so she tried to open it. It was locked and that peaked her curiosity. Looking around the room, she found a brass letter opener and a two paper clips. She'd used less to get into her locked apartment before. One thing about Kara, she was crafty, she knew how to get herself out of a jam.

She heard Bucky's footsteps behind her as she wedged the letter opener in the lock, pushed the bent paperclip against the tumblers and flipped them over.

"Did you just pick that lock?" Bucky asked and she turned to look at him with a grin.

"Yeah," she said sarcastically and opened the doors. "Jackpot!" she screamed as she pulled the old military blankets from the top shelf as well as a first aid kit.

Bucky walked over to her, taking the blankets and pointing to something in the back. Kara reached her hand in, pulling out a set of army fatigues. They were still wrapped in plastic and looked brand new. She held them up and Bucky actually smiled at her.

"They're mine," he pulled another pair of cargo pants and a black sleeveless shirt from the locker as well.

"Were you prepping this place? Did you hope to get free of Hydra someday?" she took the clothing and followed behind him, back to their sleeping quarters. He didn't answer her as he walked away. He was very much a mystery to her, even though she'd seen him a thousand times in her mind.

Bucky rolled a blanket out over her cot and one on the floor from himself. He could tell it pleased her. She had this scowl on her face when she found him sleeping on the floor. There was just something about Kara that made him want to please her, wanted to make her happy. The good man that once resisted inside him showed mere glimpses, but only around her. The dreams he had of her smiling face, her name coming to him in a whisper as he drifted off to his cold slumber were there when he woke. The last few times he'd been taken out of cold storage, her face was what he saw, her name resting on his lips. Somehow, he knew she was his salvation.

Kara sat at the table in the corner, going through the first aid kit. She'd seen Bucky take a beating, get shot and be near death, but heal as if nothing had ever happened to him. The kit was really more for her, but she hoped it would never be needed.

The grumbling coming from her stomach alerted her to the fact she still hadn't eaten. "Wonder what gourmet meal is waiting for me today?" She pulled her gym bag out, laying the contents on the table. Four bottles of water, six MRE's, a flashlight, running shoes, sports bra and underwear and her journal. Bucky picked up the journal, letting his eyes dart briefly to the panties and bra next to it. Kara felt her cheeks heat up as his metal hand brushed her across her intimate garments. He opened the journal, reading her entries. She started the journal when she was fourteen and every single vision she'd had of Bucky and some sketches as well were there for him to inspect.

He sat on the cot with the journal resting in his metal hand. His deep blue eyes took in each word, some of what she wrote was new to him. His mind had been wiped so many times, some of the missions were a blank to him. When he saw the sketch of the ginger from the bridge standing in front of an older man and a bullet ripping through her abdomen, he cringed. He actually remembered that happening. Bucky shut the journal, hanging his head.

Kara knelt down in front of him, taking her journal and cupping his face with her small hands. "It's okay. What you did... what they made you... this isn't the real you. James Buchanan Barnes. That's the real you. Not this ghost, this... Winter Soldier."

He lifted his face, his hair somewhat covering his sad features. "I don't want to be that... anymore."

She lifted up on her knees, wrapping her arms around him and held him. Bucky felt her embrace cover him like a blanket of protection and understanding. He hadn't had real human contact in so long and dammit if he didn't want more of it, more of her.

"You gonna be okay if I get a shower?" Kara asked as she released him.

Bucky nodded back as he slowly lifted his solemn eyes to her. He couldn't let any of his old life touch her, hurt her. At that moment, he made up his mind, she had to be trained to defend herself. He would make sure, one way or another, Kara wouldn't be indefensible.

Kara stood up, grabbing the camouflage fatigues and her underwear. She looked over her shoulder to see Bucky still sitting there, his demeanor that of a broken man. She patted off to the shower room, finding a bar of soap and nothing more. She'd make do for now. Perhaps they could leave here soon and get some real supplies. She laid her clothing on the back of the toilet and turned the water on, the lukewarm stream never really getting hot. It did bother her some that she was so exposed her. The locked door was the only barrier between her naked body and Bucky Barnes.

Her head was still pounding a little as she stripped down and stepped face first into the streaming water. It felt so good and her muscles were screaming at her to relax. She reached for the bar of soap and felt a tingle all the way up her arm. This intense smell of blood filled her nose and that's when the room went dark. A vision had gripped her, taking her away to some future time and place. As she lost her balance, she managed to call out to the one person she really didn't want to see her like this. "Bucky!"

~O~

The room was empty without her in it. He wasn't sure why he felt pulled to her, like things didn't make sense without her. Maybe it was the fact he was starving for human contact or maybe she was part of him in some way. It was all so confusing to him. He'd never been out of cryo this long before and the effects of it were starting to show. His cybernetic arm was the only part of him that didn't feel alive. It was a constant reminder of the things he had done, the people he'd killed.

Being a killer was the only thing he knew he was good at and if that particular set of skills would keep Kara safe and free him from Hydra's grip, then he'd used them. He wanted to see the man Kara saw as she roamed his past, traveling the forgotten highway of his memory. That was the man that he saw in Steve's eyes when last he saw him and it was that man, that Bucky that needed to rise from the ashes. He rose to his feet and was making a mental list of what he needed to train Kara when he heard her scream his name. His blue eyes went wide as his head turned to the direction of her scream.

"Kara!" he yelled back as he raced to her. It only took him a matter of seconds to reach her, bust through the locked door and catch her wet naked body before it hit the concrete. She was convulsing, her body bucking wildly. Bucky stood there with the warm water cascading down him as he held Kara in his arms, her vision consuming her.

"I got you," he whispered as he lifted her up in his arms, carrying her back to the cot and laying her down. After covering her up, he sat down beside her, waiting for her to tell him what dark future he was sure she was seeing now.

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 **A/N: Thanks for all the support. Each and every follow and favorite truly makes my day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Many thanks for each and every follow, favorite and review. A big thanks to my beta for being so wonderful. The story is about to take a big turn and with that more action, romance and a little smut. Yes, smut.**

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He was sick. He looked pale, beaten down and completely in distress. His forehead was cut and bloody, his eyes didn't hold the vibrant blue they once did and his arm was locked in a piece of machinery. Sam and Steve were talking about him, but not to him. Bucky gave Steve this pleading look, like an injured animal would give its master.

The next image was all fuzzy. A blue liquid was being prepped into a needle as Bucky lay strapped to a table, screaming for someone to end his pain. He looked over to Steve as a man worked on his cybernetic arm.

"Stop it! Kara… Steve… please." Steve looked back at him, nodding to Jenny in the corner, who raced out of the room.

Kara slowly came back to consciousness, leaving the very vivid vision in the future. As she opened her eyes, she saw Bucky standing over her, his forehead lined with worry. His flesh hand came out to feel her face, touching her cheek.

"A vision?" he asked as she tried to set up, finding herself in a state of undress. Kara quickly grabbed the blanket to cover herself, a bright blush instantly covering her cheeks.

"I'm… naked," her hands clutched the blanket, her eyes locked on the man before her.

"You were out cold, so I brought you here," he reached his hand out to her, helping her steady herself on her feet. Kara wrapped the blanket around her, making her way to the shower room with Bucky on her heels. She felt a little out of sorts as she tried to keep from bouncing off the walls. Her visions had never done this before. She'd had some very bad headaches, but she had never felt this woozy.

Bucky stared at the shower room door as she walked to dress, leaving the blanket on the floor. He could tell by the pale nature of her once pink cheeks and the glassy look in her fierce green eyes, that this vision shook her hard. He wanted to go in the room with her, but he gave her some space. He had seen her naked, touched her soft flesh and held her close to him. Sex hadn't entered his mind in a very long time, too long. Seventy years in suspended animation, only being released long enough to kill. He did the mission in a few days and went back to sleep. These new feelings, this stirring in the pit of his stomach was waking the man that had been buried deep inside. What was this woman doing to him? She came into his life just when he had just gotten it back. Maybe he was fooling himself, maybe his life really wasn't his. All he really knew was he was done being used, being a pawn in anyone's game. He would be his own man again and the answer to getting that started with Kara.

"Kara?" Bucky called out to her. Kara was slipping on her panties when she heard his voice.

'Oh my god', Kara thought to herself. She was naked in the shower when the vision came to her. She was naked when she woke up. Bucky saw her naked… touched her. Her body shivered at the thought. She could feel a blasting heat hit her in the face as she slipped her bra on.

"I'll be out in a second," she answered him back, hoping he didn't barge in. The army fatigues were a bit big. She tied the t-shirt in a knot, rolled up the pants at the ankle and waist. This wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. She tossed her wet hair back in a ponytail before joining Bucky in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall until she walked out. Kara stood there, not sure what to say. The vision was still very much fresh in her mind. She couldn't tell Bucky what she saw, so she concocted yet another lie.

"You were right, they are looking for you… for us. If they find out what I am, what I can do, I'll be in some deep shit," it wasn't so much a lie as an omission of the truth. She could see Bucky studying her face and she froze. Did he believe her?

"That's why I have to train you. I won't have them turn you into some lab rat?" Bucky gripped her hand with his metal one, pulling her behind him and into the front room.

"Train me?" she asked as he dropped her hand and turned to face her. He looked her up and down, taking in her fit body. He'd gotten a good look at her in the shower and there was no doubt she could take what he was about to dish out.

Kara wasn't afraid, she was a personal trainer after all. She had toned and conditioned her body with weights, cardio, running, rock climbing and yoga, but her favorite was kickboxing. When the owner of the gym had hired her, he gave her a few boxing lessons. Jim taught her all he knew then turned her over to his daughter Kristina to teach her the finer skills of kickboxing. Knowing how to defend herself wasn't anything knew, but actually using it was another thing. Sparing was as far as Kara had ever taken it before. From the clenched jaw look that Bucky was giving her, he meant business.

Bucky charged at her and she put her fists up in a fighters stand. He threw a right hook and she moved to the left, using her forearm to block the blow. He squatted down, sweeping his leg under. She jumped up, moving backwards with a smile. He wasn't going to pull any punches with her and she liked it. He came at her again and she kept herself tight, keeping in a fighter's stance. He rolled down to the floor, using his metal arm to knock her off her feet. She quickly leaped back up using the power of her arms and back, kicking her legs forward.

Kara did a roundhouse kick, making contact with his side. To any other person, it would have knocked the wind out of them, but Bucky swatted her foot away. He threw an elbow, barely missing her nose and she stumbled backward against the wall. He had her pinned down now as he lunged, using his forearm against her neck, his hip against her stomach and his thick muscular thigh pressed hard against her legs. Kara tried to move, but to no avail. She remembered the one trick Jim had taught her and smirked back at Bucky. She managed to free her leg enough to wrap it around his waist and use his strength to roll them both on the floor and send him flipping over her. Bucky landed on all fours and looked back at her through the hair hanging in his face.

"You can fight, but you can do better," he said as he stood up, barely breathing hard.

Kara was doing her best to catch her breath with her hands on her knees all hunched over. "Better? Dammit, you aren't even tired. Fuck this shit."

He walked over to her, letting his finger trace over her lips. "Such a nasty word, coming from such a pretty mouth."

She froze as he stared back at her, wondering what was going through his mind. "Bucky?"

"Sorry," he quickly said as he grabbed the knife from his belt. He flipped it in the air, catching the tang as it rotated. Her eyes took in the impressive show he did for her as he flipped the knife through his fingers without so much as a scratch.

"Your turn," he handed the knife to her, letting his nimble fingers gently hold the blade.

"How about the Glock? My sister has one, but I've never fired it," she was certain if she tried any knife work, she lose a finger or two.

"Okay, but we will be training with the knife soon," Bucky slid the knife back in its holder with one flip of his wrist. He reached for the Glock when Kara wrapped her arms around her stomach and sat on the weight bench. "You hurt?"

He squatted down in front of her, scanning her over for any signs of injury. She shook her head and held her stomach tighter. "I haven't eaten all day. We need to eat, then you can go all G.I. Joe on me."

"G.I. Joe?" he cocked his head sideways and she giggled.

"I really need to teach you about pop culture, my friend," she giggled as she patted his shoulder.

~~OO~~

Bucky picked up one of the meal packs and tossed it to her. She looked at the foil pack, seeing Chicken & Noodle on the outside. After shaking it up, she opened it. Her stomach was really grumbling as the smell of the heated bag filled her nose.

"Are you eating?" she asked as he pulled off the gray t-shirt he was wearing and walked away without answering her. After Bucky left, Kara consumed her meal. Spoonful after spoonful went into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks. She was glad Bucky wasn't here for this, she didn't need him to see this not so ladylike side of her. When she'd finished her meal, she grabbed one for Bucky. He had to eat, she hadn't seen him take a bite since they left D.C. The sound of the shower water could be heard down the corridor, making her curiosity burn out of control.

Part of her knew she shouldn't do this, spy on him. The other part of her wanted to. It was only fair, right? He'd seen her wet and naked. A small smirk formed on her face as she approached the shower room, then she heard the water turn off.

"Bucky, you in there?" she called out, wanting to slap herself for doing so. He walked to the door with not one stitch of clothing on, his dark hair dripping wet and beads of water shimmying down his sculpted muscles. Her throat went completely dry and she tried to wet her lips, but they were suddenly parched. His body was magnificent, including the metal arm. He was like some marble god on display, carved to perfection. Her eyes scanned down his chest, over his eight pack abs and down his hips that bore a hard V that pointed to the most impressive cock she'd seen soft.

Kara darted her eyes back up to his face, turning swiftly around. "I thought you should eat. Come to think of it, they probably didn't feed you actual food when you were out of cryo. I do remember them giving you I.V.'s. Anyway... are you hungry?" Her face was as red as her hair and the rest of her was on fire. The heat that was spreading through her body was heading straight for her apex, causing her core to clench. She pressed her thighs together, enjoying the pulsing pressure.

"I think you're right. I don't remember... much," he said in a low voice, soft and full of sadness.

"Maybe I can try again. I can see things in your past. All I have to do is find that locked door in your mind and open it," she turned back around to see him wearing the black cargo pants and sleeveless black t-shirt. His dark hair was still wet and his blue eyes smoldered back at her.

"You need to train," he said as he took the MRE from her and walked off. She stood there wondering if she'd ever break through this hot and cold personality of his. He had been out of the loop, out of the social stream for so long she knew it was going to be an uphill battle

Bucky held the MRE in his hand, squeezing a little too tightly. He walked out to his workbench, sat down, and closed his eyes. Why couldn't he remember? The face of the man in the museum, the face that had haunted him since he saved 'the spangled man' from the water, it was all so confusing. Kara only wanted to help, he knew that, but right now he wasn't sure she could. Maybe these feelings he was developing for her were clouding his mind, making it hard to see the bigger picture. He opened the meal bag and tilted it up to his mouth, letting the noodles slide between his lips and over his tongue.

Kara approached him slowly and it bothered him. She had this timid nature around him and he wanted her to give him that fire that he knew existed deep inside her. He finished his meal, tossing the bag in an empty box. Kara watched him from the corner where she was holding the Glock in her hand. Bucky walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and taking her hands in his. He moved her arm up, showing her how to hold the gun, placing her finger on the trigger and the others on the handle. Her body was still on fire and having him this close only made it worse.

"Breath in then out when you pull the trigger. Hold firm to the gun, but never place your hand close to the slide. It will kick back, so square your shoulders and widen your stance," he moved back away from her, making her shiver from the loss of his heat.

"Like this?" she asked as he shook his head, coming up behind her and kicking her feet apart wider. His firm hands were on her arms again, adjusting her shoulders, searing her skin through the t-shirt.

He watched as she stood there holding the gun, seeing something else. Her nipples were hard and very visible through her sports bra and t-shirt. He smirked to himself, then refocused on what he was doing. "Let's go," he ordered and she dropped the gun to her side, watching him pick up the other Glock. They walked outside the bunker to the knoll between the armory and the infirmary. Three targets hung on wooden posts, each one shot dead center. Bucky took her gun from her, sliding a clip in place and releasing the safety. She reached for it and he shook his head. "Watch me," he stood firm, legs apart, arms up, elbows locked and fired the gun several times in quick succession. She didn't know what was hotter, him holding the gun or firing it. Kara fanned her face, trying to get some air. He turned back to her, taking her hand and pulling her to the spot he was standing. Once again, he kicked her feet apart, placed his hands on her hips, then up to her arms where he lifted her elbows to the perfect angle.

"Hold it tighter, Kara," his voice was stern without being harsh. She gripped the pistol handle tighter, locking her wrists. Bucky stood behind her, his hands holding her hips. "Pull the trigger," the soft command sent jolts of electricity to her core. Her finger slowly squeezed the trigger and the gun kicked back, nearly hitting her in the face. Bucky walked around, holding her wrists with his metal hand. His touch wasn't hard, but firm enough to let her know he wasn't too happy with her. "I said hold it, Kara. Tight," his teeth dug into his bottom lip out of frustration as he walked back around her. She was so turned on right now all she could think about was him in the shower room, buck naked.

They went over the correct way to hold a gun a few more times, each time he touched her was a sweet torture. Bucky was starting to feel it too, that heady feeling that tightened up in your belly and made it hard to concentrate. He was a warrior, a soldier and he should be able to shake this, this distraction, but it seemed to be far beyond his control.

Kara pulled the trigger to the gun and the bullet hit a little off center. She was shocked she did so well and didn't fall on her ass. The smile on her face must have been contagious because Bucky gave her a small grin back.

"Not bad," his metal hand slid over hers, taking the gun. She'd had enough for today, but tomorrow he was going to see what she really had.

They walked back towards the bunker when Kara stopped, turning to him in the doorway. "I think I know why your memories are blocked off. Just like me with the gun, I had to stop fighting it and go with what you taught me. Go with the flow. You have to let go too and stop fighting it." Her small hand laced into his right hand, pulling him to their sleeping quarters. She sat on the pallet he made on the floor, pulling him down with her.

"I've tried," he said as his eyes locked onto hers. She stroked his scruffy cheek with her free hand, wishing she could take away his pain.

"Think of the last happy memory you can. Not the doctors, not the freezer, not the experiments they did on you... not the pain of them wiping you clean. Just look at me and think of something... good," tears welled up in her eyes as his lips turned down into a frown. Maybe she was asking too much, but she had to try.

Bucky understood what she was trying to do, but there were no happy memories, no time he wasn't in pain or felt utterly lost. He'd think about her, maybe that would work. She smiled back at him, her soft hand stroking his face. Yes, thinking about her and her kindness would help.

"Okay, here we go," she said as she closed her eyes and tuned out everything but him. Like little flashed of light in the dark, she saw images of him, of Steve and some other soldiers. He was smiling and so happy, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Steve," Bucky whispered and her heart leaped in her chest. Was he seeing it too?

They were at a bar, having a drink. He was teasing Steve about the costume he wore as Captain America and the two of them were having a good time. Kara grabbed that image, held tight to it and pushed as hard as she could. She felt her hands squeezing his as she tried to give him the memory she had captured.

She opened her eyes to see him sitting there, eyes open with that brooding scowl. "This isn't going to work," he moved to get up and she held to him.

"It will," she scooted closer to him, telling him to close his eyes and let go. The struggle she felt from him was causing her to lose the memory. He had so much scar tissue from all the electric shock they used on him that it was hard for her to find the memory and even harder to break down his walls.

She latched onto the memory of the bar once more and held it as she leaned forward, finding his lips and kissing him hard. His lips were unresponsive at first. She pushed her body against his, making him tumble backward. There she lay on top of him, his hands on his hips, her lips moving over his and the dam in his mind broke. Her tongue slipped between his full lips, grazing his tongue and pulling a moan from deep inside his chest.

"Steve... Peggy. I remember," he said as he pulled her up with him, his metal arm braced around her waist. "I want more," he said as he crashed his lips back down on hers and the memory of that day flooded through his Swiss cheese brain, filling in the gaps that had been drilled there.

Kara gave over to him, letting her mind be a conduit for him. He kissed her back harder, his lips firm on hers as his tongue darted in her mouth. They pulled apart as the memory faded, both panting.

"Well... damn," Kara said as she rose to her feet. Bucky sat there for a moment, his metal fingers rubbing his bottom lip. When he finally looked up at her, he had this mixed look on his face. He was smiling with teary eyes, making her heart crack just a little.

"I remembered. Thank you," he wasn't just thanking her for the memory. He was thanking her for unlocking the man that he was seventy years ago.


	9. Chapter 9

Bucky woke from a very vivid dream.

 _The pretty little brunette he was dancing with was looking over at her blonde friend standing in the corner. He had invited Steve on a double date, but Steve had other plans. As he looked into the girl's brown eyes, they morphed into this impossible shade of green._

"Kara," he called out in his sleep as the dream disappeared. Opening his still sleepy blue eyes, he looked up from his makeshift bed on the floor to the cot beside him. The blanket was pushed back and Kara was gone. He jumped to his feet and began to search the bunker for her.

She had tried so hard all evening to find more memories for him, but she was too tired and wasn't skilled enough to use her abilities in that way.

As she curled up on the cot, Bucky sat at the table watching over her until she fell asleep. There was a lingering tingle on his lips that made him want more of her. He knew the kiss was meant as a distraction, but it stirred things deep inside him he didn't know still existed. This emerald-eyed beauty with her 'trust me' face and believable smile had offered him his life back and if she gave herself freely, so he could. All he could think about was finding her gone or worse, dead.

Kara had endured years of painful, gory images and yet her she was trying to save him from being that monster. She had no reason to help him, none that made any sense to him. He knew she felt his pain, his confusion and this aching, raw hole in his chest that left him hollow. Perhaps the universe had some grand plan, some endgame he wasn't aware of for the two of them. He thought if that was true, it was a cruel game with even crueler intentions to make her suffer along with him.

As he approached the front, he was surprised to find the door open. He picked up the knife and Glock by the table, sliding them in his cargo pants and heading out towards the lake. There was a dense fog clinging to everything. The crisp early fall day greeted him with a cool breeze as the dew from the rolling green grass collected on his combat boots. He ran his right hand through the hair hanging in his face. His skilled eyes narrowed as he stood still and focused on the sounds around him. It was the skills that Hydra had embedded in his brain that he would use now. Besides the sounds of the animals that made this base their home, Bucky couldn't hear anything else. He was sure he would hear her footsteps, maybe her labored breathing or even her sobs. He walked a little further out, towards the lake when he saw the morning glow bouncing off her auburn hair.

"Kara, where have you been?" he asked as she held up two brown bags full of supplies.

She knew from the look on his face, he wasn't happy. His eyes were creased at the corners and his lips set hard. Even like this, she found him stunning. "Stop your worrying, Sergeant Barnes. I found this little warehouse just down the road. I may have let myself in, got us a few things," she walked past him, praying he didn't go off or tell her to take it all back.

Bucky liked her ingenuity and tenacity. She wasn't one to sit idly by and let others do for what she could do herself. He took the bags from her as they walked back into the bunker. She looked rather pleased with herself as she pulled the table from the corner and they unloaded her haul.

"Where exactly did this come from?" he asked, seeing no markings or logos on the items she'd procured.

"Don't worry. I thought I saw this whole food store on our way here and sure enough, they have a warehouse full of shit. It will do until we get real supplies," she tossed him a granola bar and he caught it midair.

"No. You're not going back out, it's too dangerous," Bucky took a large bit out of the honey and oat bar and sat down on the cot.

Kara ran her hands through her hair, rolling her eyes and nearly screaming. "We have to eat and I need clothes... girl stuff. Hello. Didn't girls back in your day need... things?"

"My day?" he looked up at her as his chiseled jaw rippled.

"Yeah. Your day. Didn't that little memory yesterday show you anything? The clothes, the war bond poster on the wall... Captain freaking America? James Buchanan Barnes, born 1917... that's what it said on the Wall of Valor," Kara pulled her sweatshirt off and sat down on the blankets on the floor.

Things were a jumbled mess in his mind. He could see some things clearly and others were still fuzzy. The memorial to him at the museum told him a little about himself, but it was Kara that was starting to put the puzzle pieces together. The dream he had hadn't really a dream but a memory that seeped out while he was sleeping. He was someone's friend once, someone's boyfriend once and someone's son once. Now, he was just a ghost, a memory that was waiting to be remembered.

Kara looked over to him, seeing that distant look in his eyes. Her first thought was that he was remembering something, but she knew he was probably just torturing himself with trying to remember.

"Bucky?" she said softly to him as he rose to her feet. He looked over at her as she walked his way. He sat the remainder of his granola bar down and stood up too.

"Yes," he gave her a pondering look as his eyes watched the playful smile curl up on her lips.

She waltzed around him as he turned his head, watching as she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her forehead rested between his shoulders as she let out a low sigh. "I guess we need to train some more."

Bucky placed his hands on her forearms and gave her a jerk. She had his knife out of his belt in a flash, but he had her in an arm lock and on the floor. "You're going have to be faster than that, Kar."

He let go of her and she stood up, wiggling her arm. "Did you just call me, Kar? Only my friends ever call me that."

"Aren't we friends?" he asked as he slid the knife and gun back in his pants.

"Depends. What does being your friend involve, Sergeant Barnes?" she flashed that playful little grin again. She was dishing out her first class flirt, hoping to bait him into saying something he couldn't get out of.

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, his index finger dipping into the dimple there. "What do you want it to involve, Ms. Bennett?"

'Dammit', she thought to herself. He was an assassin, a spy for the KGB and a trained killer for Hydra. Of course, he would come back with some quick, witty retort. Kara was doing her best to think quickly on her feet when Bucky closed the distance between them and wrapped his left arm around her waist. He was holding back the power that he possessed in that cybernetic arm, holding her as daintily as possible.

"I want to dance," he said with a crooked smirk.

"Dance?" she asked as her eyebrows creased together. Was he serious? Did trained killers dance? Did he even remember how to? "We don't have any music." He released her and disappeared down the corridor. She stood there totally perplexed at this new development. Then it hit her, something totally out of the blue. Maybe the more she treated him like Sergeant James Barnes and less like the Winter Soldier, the more he'd act like the man that his friends called Bucky. Kara walked around the small sleeping quarters as she waited for Bucky to return. She had this nervous energy that needed to be burned off, mostly caused by him. As she made another lap around the room, he walked in with a recorded player and some old vinyl records, still in their sleeves.

"These were in a crate I found. Never really had a use for them until now," he sat them down and Kara started flipping through the pile of records. She smiled when she found Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Benny Goodman, and her favorite, Etta James.

"Here," she handed him the record and he placed it on the turntable. It looked a little worn but as long as the needle still worked, they were in business. The yellow suitcase that housed the ancient player had a large speaker on the side and control knobs on the front. It had a thick layer of dust that Bucky blew away. Kara had to take a deep breath as he puckered his lips and blew.

He looked the room over for an outlet, finding one just behind the door. They had electricity to Kara's amazement, but they had used it sparsely, especially during night. The record began to turn and Kara lifted the needle to the vinyl. A static like crackle echoed from the speaker before Etta's voice boomed out at them. The soulful rhythm of 'I just want to make love to you' began to play and Kara's face went red. Bucky stood there listening to the song as he watched the record spin around.

"I like it," he said as he nodded his head. She couldn't deny him this. He'd been locked away for so long, denied any kind of life so Kara thought that he deserved this, even if she was blushing as bright as a red neon sign.

 _I don't want you to be no slave_

 _I don't want you to work all day_

 _But I want you to be true_

 _And I just wanna make love to you_

 _Love to you, ooh, ooh_

 _Love to you_

 _All I want to do is wash your clothes_

 _I don't want to keep you indoors_

 _There is nothing for you to do_

 _But keep me making love to you_

 _Love to you, ooh, ooh_

 _Love to you_

Bucky's eyebrows lifted as he turned to look at Kara. She lowered her head as she walked over to the turntable and lifted the needle to the next song. "Okay, Sergeant." She stood in the middle of the room with one arm bent and her hand up, ready for him to take. He placed his metal hand in hers, slowly wrapping his right arm around her waist. They stood close to each other, their bodies only inches apart.

"I remember this. Dancing. I think I was good at it," he said as the next song began to play.

"I bet you were with those eyes and those cheekbones. There is no doubt all the girls were lined up around the block for a dance with you," Kara was teasing him now and the smile she got back made her heart quiver in her chest.

 _At last_

 _My love has come along_

 _My lonely days are over_

 _And life is like a song_

 _Oh yeah yeah, at last_

 _The skies above are blue_

 _My heart was wrapped up in clover_

 _The night I looked at you_

 _And I found a dream that I could speak to_

 _A dream that I can call my own_

 _I found a thrill to press my cheek to_

 _A thrill that I have never known_

 _Oh yeah yeah, and you smile, you smile_

 _Oh, and then the spell was cast_

 _And here we are in Heaven_

 _For you are mine at last_

As Etta crooned out the sultry song that declare she'd found her one true love, Bucky held Kara close to him. Their stomachs were touching, his metal hand lightly gripping hers as his right arms held her in a very needy embrace.

Kara's eyes were locked on his, those cobalt blues burning back at her so hard she felt her panties get wet. The image of him naked played over her mind as they swayed to the music. His lips parted just slightly as a breathy sigh floated out. His pupils got darker as he dipped his head down to take her lips. She welcomed him as her lips pressed back against his. Her tongue traced his lower lip until his teeth bit into the plump lip of her own. She began to breathe harder as his mouth covered hers again, his tongue tasting hers as it slid inside. Kara pulled back for a moment, feeling his arm tighten around her waist.

"Do you remember doing this too, Sergeant?" she teased him and he kissed her hard as his metal hand cupped the back of her head.

He gave her a soft kiss as he answered her back. "I remember this and what comes after."

Kara didn't speak as he backed her against the cot and they both went tumbling down on it. It creaked with the weight of both of them. Bucky did his best to keep his weight off her, but Kara was clinging to him, her hands tugging the hem of his shirt up. He lifted his arms so she could pull it off and shivered as her lips began to kiss her bare kiss. She was placing open mouth kisses along his chest, letting her tongue lavish affection on his nipples.

"Do you remember this?" she asked as she let her finger traced down his back. He nodded, letting his lips claim her neck. Kara let out a moan as he ground himself against her leg, his manhood growing harder by the second.

The music continued to play as they lay on the cot, tuning out everything but each other. Bucky did remember. The way it felt to have a pretty girl flirt with him, kiss him and seduce him. But this wasn't the way he remembered it. This felt totally different. This girl that was offering herself to him, that was currently unzipping his pants wasn't just offering him sex… she was offering him a chance to be James Barnes again.

Her hands dipped into the back of his loosened pants, cupping his very firm backside. She was grinding her wet core against him, trying to gain some relief from the pressure that was aching between her thighs. "Bucky… just take me," she moaned out and he raised up on his haunches.

He looked down at her, those swollen pink lips, those flaming jade eyes and her chest heaving. "I… might hurt you," he mumbled out and she rose up on her elbows. The sweet smile she gave him made him feel unworthy to touch her at all.

"You're in control, James… not this," her hand ran over his metal arm, coming to rest on his shoulder. She batted her eyelashes at him before she gripped her oversize t-shirt and pulled it off. He scooted back, letting her slide out of her fatigue pants. She reached up to his cargo pants and pulled them down, exposing that hard V.

"You're so damn beautiful it hurts to look at you," she said as she chewed on her bottom lip. He stood up, tugging his pants to the floor. His manhood jetted out towards her, causing her mouth to gape open. "Oh," she blurted out as he walked over to her.

Bucky lifted her hand, placing it just above his erection. He rolled his head back as she glided her hand over his cock, gripping it and stroking slowly. She was bringing back so many feelings, ones he was sure he'd never feel again. All the girls that had been intimate with him in his past flipped before his eyes like a slide show, but they all faded to one face… Kara.

She continued to work his length, wondering if she should just blow him. She wanted to taste him, lick the clear liquid that was leaking from his glorious cock. He looked down at her, seeing the want in her eyes. The tight ball that was building up tension like a rubber band being pulled back was the most alive he'd felt in seventy years. He was willing to take whatever she had to give, just as long as he got to feel the warmth deep inside her plush walls.

Kara let her hand fall from him as her lips took the tip of his cock in her mouth. Bucky's thighs rippled as he tried to hold steady. All he wanted to do was to thrust his hips, fucking her pretty little mouth.

As her tongue swirled against the right spot causing him to grip the back of her head. "Kara… stop."

She darted her eyes up to him and pulled back with a pop. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No… not wrong. I… just…," his chest was heaving as the sensation of her pleasuring him ran over him like warm water on a cool day. He didn't want to cum like this. No, he needed to be buried deep inside her when he let that rubber band finally snap for the first time in a very long time.

It was as if she could read his mind and she tossed her bra and panties off quickly, laying back on the cot. Bucky took her hand, pulling her up. He looked into her green eyes as his right hand traveled down her shoulder, over her arm then back up. His fingers prickled her flesh as he moved over her chest, across her pert nipple and down her stomach. She was moaning, quivering as he stroked the back of his fingers over her hip bone, down to her apex and resting on her mound.

"Bucky?" she breathed out in pure bliss as his index finger traced her slicked folds. "Use your other hand," she was nearly shaking as he raised his left hand, the metal causing goosebumps to raise all over her body.

He placed the metal hand to her wet cunt, letting his finger dip between her folds. He pushed it against her entrance and she nearly buckled. He gave her just enough pressure to make her call out his name, but not enough to penetrate her.

"Fuck," she screamed out as his lips sucked her nipple in. His perfect teeth gently nibbled on the rosy bud as his metal finger circled her entrance. Her clit was throbbing and she swirled her hips, trying to get him to touch her there. This was the hottest foreplay she'd ever experienced in her life. This man that was currently making her whimper like a puppy hadn't had sex in seventy years, but dammit if he wasn't about to make her explode.

He pushed his finger into her plush warmth, wishing it was his flesh hand that was feeling her tight wet walls.

Kara gripped his shoulders as her body bowed forward. Bucky pulled his hand away, turning them around and setting himself on the cot. Kara followed his lead, straddling him. She felt his manhood against her stomach as she claimed his lips. His hands rested on her hips, guiding her up with just a little pressure. She lifted up, lowering her overheated core onto his long, thick length. They both growled out in a heated primal way that echoed through the bunker.

Bucky's hands dug into the flesh of her hips as she began to gyrate her core up and down, massaging her tight walls over his engorged cock. Memories flooded back to him as she made love to him. Steve being this smaller version of himself, the pretty girl he went home with after the fair that night, the USO dance the night before he left for England and finally, waking up from a drug induced haze when Steve saved him.

He wanted to cry, weep at all the memories that were suddenly coming back to him but he couldn't. Kara stalled for a moment, looking into his eyes and stopped. Bucky opened his mouth to answer her when they heard the alarm from the armory blaring. A small explosion soon followed and Bucky knew they had been discovered.

* * *

 **Thanks for the continued support. I truly appreciate all the follows and favorites. I promise more heated moments are coming soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

Kara couldn't believe how things had turned out. One minute she was on the verge of exploding, of having the most amazing orgasm and the next, she was left panting and wanting while the man she was just riding grabbed his pants and ran out the door. She could still feel his thick cock deep inside her, her core throbbing for him.

She had to pull herself together, put all thoughts of sex and Bucky out of her mind until she was sure they were safe. Right before the alarm went off and the explosion shook the ground, she saw something deep in Bucky's eyes that would have stopped them anyway.

It was like being tossed in a cold shower, seeing that deep pain in his eyes. Kara needed to know what that was about, why he had tears pooling in his eyes, but first she needed to get dressed and find out what the hell was going on.

Bucky was rattled, his senses all jumbled. He had some of his memories back, some of them fresh in his mind still. Being with Kara, letting himself get lost in her, with her, opened him up to receive the memories she'd been trying so hard to unlock for him. She was a beauty, her body a thing to desire, but it was her heart and her caring nature he found himself needing more. He hated leaving her like that. They were both close to tipping over the edge and into bliss, but once those memories came flooding back to him, he was lost to her. The alarm and explosion only added to the chaos taking place in his mind. He tossed Kara aside in such a hurry, he forgot that she was being left naked and exposed.

Smoke was rising from the Armory as he approached it. The door had been blown off its hinges and the alarm was barely making a sound. Bucky pulled the Glock from his belt as he entered the door. He made his way inside, seeing sparks of fire, spraying from the booby trap he'd set.

The blur of someone running past him caught his eye and he took off after them. The fence that surrounded the area was 15 feet high and covered in razor wire. Bucky was certain this intruder had either cut a hole in the fence or there was a group of people involved. He chased them up the knoll, towards the back of the facility. His unhuman speed gave him the advantage as he caught up to the man just outside the infirmary.

Bucky leaped in the air, landing his knee on the man's back and knocking him to the ground. He was hunched over him, his metal fist raised to strike when he noticed this was just some punk kid. The Bucky he was before Kara would have just sent his fist into the kid's face. Death was nothing to him and he dealt it out with expertise.

"Who are you?" Bucky grabbed a fist full of the kid's jacket as the young man began to beg, nearly crying.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I saw the fence open… dude the chain and lock were broke," the boy held up his hands, tears streaming from his eyes.

Kara walked up behind him, watching to see if he would actually hit the boy. Part of her feared he would but deep in her heart she knew he wouldn't. Relief washed over her as Bucky released the boy and turned to look at her. The boy stood up, straightening out his black hoodie. She walked closer to Bucky, taking the gun from his right hand.

"Get out of here," she shouted at the boy, but he was still standing there staring at them. Bucky wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him and rested his forehead on her shoulder. When Kara saw the boy reach into his pocket of his hoodie, she knew he wasn't just some random teenager that happened to wander upon them. Without thought, she lifted the Glock and pulled the trigger. Bucky released her, turning to look at the bleeding body on the ground.

She was trembling, her hand shaking as she lowered the gun to her side. Kara had never harmed another living soul in her life and now she had killed a person. Bucky checked the body, the bullet hole in his forehead nearly center. In the boy's hand was a revolver with a silencer.

"I killed him," Kara said as she crumbled to the ground. Bucky knelt down beside her, his right hand stroking her pale cheek.

"He was from Hydra. I remember him now. He was there when Pierce gave me orders to kill Steve. How did they find me?" Bucky pulled Kara up with him as they made their way back to the bunker. This would mean they'd have to run again, but to where Kara was unsure. Kara was sure Mr. Belov had something to do with this. Perhaps if they got rid of him, they'd be safe to stay at her grandparents' home. She looked up at Bucky, his eyes set hard and his jaw rippling.

"Mr. Belov… he's a spy for Hydra… isn't he?" she managed to get out as her tears finally spilled from her eyes.

Bucky stopped, holding her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "I think so."

"We have to kill him, Bucky. We'll be safe at my grandparents place if we kill him," Kara couldn't believe what she was saying. She'd known Misha most of her life and to know he was working for some evil organization chilled her to the bone.

"We'll go back, but you aren't killing anyone else," Bucky held her face a little more firm, making her look into his eyes. "I mean it, Kara. I won't have this taint you any more that it already has."

She nodded her head as more tears poured down her face. The day had started off very promising and ended up with tears, blood and death. This was the life she was in store for until she got Bucky free from his Hydra masters and free to service with Steve without S.H.I.E.L.D. restraints.

Steve … that was her answer. She had to see him and figure out what was going on out there. Steve was looking for him and she had seen a possible future that had Steve helping Bucky. But right now neither of them trusted anyone, not even Captain America.

They had packed their things and were running to the truck when Bucky took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "You don't have to go with me."

Kara blinked back at him, shaking her head. "No, I do. I'm linked to you, so no matter where you go, I go."

He gave her a small smile as they climbed in the cab. Kara couldn't shake the look in his eyes while they were making love. She needed answers and to finish what they started.

"Did you remember something… when we were… together?" she watched his face, seeing just the glint of melancholy swimming in the soft blue.

"Every time you touch me, something happens. I can't make out everything but I know I'm not the man I was. Don't think I can be that man again," Bucky put the truck in drive, heading towards the fence when she scooted closer to him, placing his arm around her.

"You're wrong and I'm going to prove that to you, James," she placed her head on his shoulders as they speed away from the facility. Going back to the farmhouse was going to be tricky, but they were willing to take that chance.

Bucky drove back to the weathered farmhouse, taking mostly country roads. He was good at hiding his tracks, but being found at the old army facility made him feel a little inadequate. The only thing he could think of was it must have been Mr. Belov. Going back to the farmhouse wouldn't be something their enemy would expect. Kara was smart, sexy and a little cunning. She was more than met the eye and he was seeing that first hand.

Kara stayed close to him as they took the back way into her family farm. She hadn't spoken since they left Bucky's hideout, her mind tried to come up with some scenario as to why she'd been gone so long. She needed to talk to Steve, see if he could really be trusted. S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the organization she thought it was. She could tell by the look in Jenny's eyes, something wasn't right. Leaving Bucky was going to be hard, but she had to do this to keep them both safe. Maybe if she could get a message to Jenny, like the ones they used to use as kids, then she could set up a meeting with Steve.

Bucky glance over at her, seeing her in deep thought. He worried what they had done in the bunker was a mistake. He could have hurt her. She trusted him, was willing to give all of herself to him and that made it all the more important that he kept the dark side of himself in check. The nightmares were still there, bubbling under the surface and he hoped he wouldn't lash out in his sleep. Kara was determined to be with him. It seemed, no matter what the cost. Bucky was sure of one thing. He would pay the ultimate price before he'd ever harm her. He needed her, and not just for the flashes of memory or the visions she had, he needed her touch that reminded him he was a man, he needed her smile that warmed his cold heart and he needed her kindness that gave him hope that there was still some good left in the world.

He pulled up to a rustic barn when Kara turned to him. Her green eyes smiled back at him, making his heart stammer just a bit. He leaned forward, taking her lips and giving her a very slow, heated kiss.

"What was that for?" she asked as he continued to stare at her.

"Just… because," he wasn't really sure why he did that, but he wanted to do it again. He didn't know what made him crave her. She was more addictive than any drug, more seductive than any sin and he wanted more of her.

Kara looked away from him for a second when she spotted Mr. Belov in the barn. The barn was once used to store feed and grain, but she wasn't so sure what purpose Misha had for it now. Bucky placed his index finger to his lips as he slid out of the truck and crept around the side of the barn. Kara slipped out the other side, staying close to him as they made their way to the front.

The sound of electrical equipment buzzing and clicking could be heard as they approached. Bucky looked back at Kara, seeing the dim glow of a light between the cracks of the boards. "Go back to the truck," he ordered and she shook her head. He didn't want her to see what he was about to do.

"Let me go in. He'll let down his guard if he sees just me," she said as she waltzed past Bucky. He reached out to stop her, but she was already inside the open barn door.

Misha was sitting at a desk, turning the dial on what looked like a two way radio. Kara remembered seeing one of those in her grandfathers shed. He used to be a communication officer in the army and kept the radio as an old memento. He clicked the dial to a station that made a weird buzzing noise. Kara looked around the corner for Bucky and knew she had to act now when she saw him climbing up in the loft.

Kara walked up to the desk with the sweetest of smiles on her face. "Hello, Mr. Belov."

"Kara?" Misha turned to her with this scowl etched in his weathered face.

"Sorry I ran out like I did," she stopped at the edge of the desk, watching him scan the barn over. His eyes narrowed to small slits as he locked his gaze on her. Kara wanted to look up to see where Bucky was, but she couldn't risk giving away his whereabouts.

Misha turned the radio off, taking his foot and scooting something under the desk. He stood up, placing his hand on Kara's shoulder. "Why did you run off? Did that drifter hurt you… are you okay?"

"I'm good. I helped that man out. Took him to a friend," she was getting good at lying. The words fell from her tongue with ease as she looked Misha straight in the eyes.

"Where did you take him, Kara?" Misha pushed her towards the front of the barn, keeping his right hand on his hip. She knew he must have a weapon either tucked in the back of his pants or in his pocket.

She stopped and shimmied his hand off of her. "Why do you want to know? He was just a drifter. I'm back now, isn't that all that matters?"

"You don't know, but you're in a lot of danger. That man… wasn't just a drifter. I really thought I'd never see you again and everything me and your granddad worked so hard for could have been gone," Misha's hard face turned soft in a flash and that's when Kara saw it. Misha had a secret, one about her and she had to know what it was.

She was about to ask him what he meant when Misha wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Mr. Belov?"

Bucky watched from the loft as the old man walked Kara towards the barn door. He studied the old radio, seeing a code on the table wrote in Russian. The box he had scooted under the desk had Russian symbols on it. He crawled on his belly towards the edge of the loft to get a better look at the box when he saw the red skull symbol that he'd seen so many times.

"Hydra," he whispered as he rose to his feet. As he looked for Kara he saw Belov with his arms around her and this pale, wide eyed look on Kara's face. Bucky leaped into action, running to the ladder just a few feet away, putting his feet on the first rung and jumping down on Misha and Kara.

They went falling down to the hard dirt floor with a groan. Bucky kept his knee on Mr. Belov's back as Kara rolled out of the way. With nimble fingers, Bucky pulled his tactical knife from his belt, holding it to Misha's throat.

"Bucky! No!" Kara screamed from her knees as Misha looked back at her with this lost expression.

"Bucky… Barnes?" Misha said to her and Bucky held the knife blade steady.

"How do you know me?" Bucky asked as he pushed the blade against the old man's flesh, leaving a trickle of blood on his tan farmer's skin.

Kara rose to her feet, holding her hand out to Bucky. She gave him a pleading look, hoping he'd give her the knife. He did, but not without putting Misha in a head lock and jerking him to his feet.

"He's with Hydra. We have to kill him," Bucky whispered back to her, but Kara shook her hand.

"Misha, I want the truth or my very skilled friend will kill you. Are you a spy for Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Kara held the knife out, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. The boy she killed back at the army base was still haunting her, his dead eyes burning in her mind.

Bucky held tight to him as he took a very deep breath. "No. I'm Ex KGB. I moved to this country to get away from all of this. Hydra wanted me, but I refused them. I've been in hiding ever since. I changed my name and did my best to cover my tracks. I know of this S.H.I.E.L.D. Your sister works for them. Your granddad was afraid the men that killed your parents would come for you… because of what you can do. I helped him watch over you, protect you."

"Wait… what? My parents were killed? No. It was a drunk driver. That's what they told me," Kara fell to her knees and Bucky gripped Misha tight, pulling him over to a post and tying him up. He was back to Kara in a flash, cradling her in his arms. She cried softly as he held her, her world thoroughly turned upside down.

Misha looked directly at her as Bucky held her. "Not sure what lies this Hydra dog has told you, but he's the one that killed your parents."

Kara looked at Bucky for some recognition if this was true. She thought to herself, she would have seen it. Seen him do it. Bucky pulled away from her and she instantly felt her heart crumble to dust.


	11. Chapter 11

A thousand thoughts ran through Kara's head. Could this be real? Was Misha telling her the truth? She couldn't believe that Bucky would have killed her parents. This had to be a lie. Kara dried her tears and walked over to Misha. Bucky stayed on the ground, his mind locked in a heated battle with his memories. He'd been wiped clean so many times, he couldn't see this memory at all.

"I'm telling you the truth," Misha tried to wiggle free from his restraints as Kara walked behind him. She pulled the blade she had on her belt, holding it to his throat.

Bucky looked at her just in time to see her, pressing the blade hard enough to bring blood. Kara's green eyes narrowed in on Misha as she squeezed the handled to the knife. "Tell me the truth. I've seen visions of him since I was ten and not once did I see him kill my parents."

Misha let out a chuckle as he tilted his head back. "You were sick. You got the flu and were in the hospital. The doctors had you knocked out, so naturally you wouldn't have seen it. But it's true."

She lowered the blade just a little as she thought back to that winter and things just weren't adding up for her. Bucky walked over to the desk, reading the code. His eyes quickly scanned over the message that Misha was sending out. It was some sort of military code that hadn't been used since WWII.

Kara watched him for a moment as she tried to figure the truth for herself. "You're right. My parents did die the night I was in the hospital. Before I'm willing to buy what you're selling, you need to answer three questions."

"Okay. Ask me anything," Mr. Belov stopped fighting the restrains as he gave Bucky all his attention. Bucky had taken the box out from under the desk and was going through the maps and papers inside.

The papers did make Kara curious, but she had to have answers to her questions before she joined Bucky. She moved the knife and walked around to face him. "Alright. One, where was Jenny when my parents died? Two, what month was it and three… when did you find out about me and what I can do?"

Misha licked his dry lips before he answered her, giving her a brief smile. "Jenny was at a school debate, it was December and your grandfather told me when you moved in."

Kara slumped to the floor, looking so defeated and hurt. Misha whispered for her to untie him before Bucky turned his head, holding up a piece of paper.

"Kara… come here," he said in a demanding tone, but she stayed on the floor. He placed the paper on the desk and looked at Mr. Belov. The smile on the old man's face made his heart sink to his stomach. It was true. He killed her parents. All of this didn't matter at the moment. The paper he found and the truth of what was really going on here did.

When Kara finally lifted her head, her lips bore a beaming smile. Her green eyes nearly sparkled as she walked over to Bucky and gave him the knife. She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward. "Kill him. Bucky... he killed my parents. I'm sure of it."

Bucky cupped the back of her head with his flesh hand, pulling her face into his neck as he gripped the tang of the blade and sent it sailing through the air, right into Misha Belov's chest.

Kara gripped Bucky tight around the waist as his metal hand stroked her back. "How did you know he was lying?"

"He was right about everything but one thing. My grandfather never knew my secret. Only my grandmother and she never told a soul except me and my mother. Only the women of my family know that secret. My grandfather never thought my parents' death was an accident and now I know the truth," she looked up at Bucky, seeing the crystal blue of his eyes looking directly into her heart.

"The paper. It's a list of people that Hydra want to assassinate. You're on it," Kara took the paper, looking at the names printed there. She recognized the names on top of the list, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff but seeing her written there was a little unsettling.

"I need answers," she said as her eyes continued to scan down the paper to her sister's name.

"No. I won't let you go," Bucky held her a little tighter, hoping she'd change her mind.

She kissed him softly as she stroked his face. "I have to take this paper to my sister and get some answers. I promise I'll return to you. Stay here and stay safe."

They stayed embraced for a few minutes longer before Kara pulled herself out of his arms, leaving him in the barn. She raced to the truck, leaving the gym bag for him and left before she had time to change her mind.

She was gone. He wasn't sure why he let her go with all the danger out there waiting for her. Maybe he should have gone with her, maybe he should have just stopped her. There was this defiance in her eyes, one that told him she would be alright. He understood if Hydra found him, they may capture him again and there would be more lives lost.

Bucky made quick work of burying Mr. Belov's body. He refortified the farmhouse, boarding up the windows and securing the doors. After bringing the radio into the house, he placed the maps on the walls and spread out the rest of the paperwork on the kitchen floor. There were plans on the Hydra underground, a mission to take over the planet through S.H.I.E.L.D. and a list of humans with special abilities. A memory flashed in his mind, one of the last missions he was on. Hydra was going to kill all those that would, could or did oppose them. That's why they needed Captain America dead and that's why he was trying to stop him on the aircraft. Hydra still had this list and was using their undercover operatives to take out these threats. Kara could very well be stepping into a trap. They could have already killed her sister and she would be next. He left the farmhouse with only Kara's wellbeing on his mind. He needed to save her, to save himself. She had rummaged the gym bag, taking only one handgun. Bucky smiled as he lifted it to his shoulder and began to run towards the old barn. Misha Belov's work truck was sitting just on the other side of the barn with the keys in the ignition.

~~OO~~

Tears filled Kara's eyes as she drove away from Bucky. She wasn't sure if leaving him was the right thing to do, but there were too many unanswered questions for her liking. Bucky could handle himself, but finding out Hydra was in her backyard growing up made her worry that Hydra would be back soon and she had to return to Bucky as quickly as possible.

She turned the radio on to take her mind off of the situation. The song was a classic and Kara started singing along with it. It wasn't Sunday morning and the day most defiantly hadn't been easy, but the song was a much needed distraction. Before Kara got into the city, she stopped at a small electronic store to purchase a prepaid phone. She tucked the phone in her pant pocket and drove until she came to the park. The ruins of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters loomed in the distance as she sat there, contemplating on making that phone call to Jenny.

Part of her couldn't make that call. The 'what if' game played over in her mind until she was near the edge of insanity. She picked up the phone again and was about to dial it when she saw a black SUV pull up beside her.

"Shit," Kara said as she tried to slink down in the truck seat. The doors opened and Jenny got out with a man with an eyepatch. Kara remembered the man. He had given her car keys back to her the day that all hell broke loose.

"Ms. Bennett," the tall, dark skinned man said as he approached the truck.

Kara sat up and slowly opened the truck door. Jenny ran to her, tossing her arms around her sister. "You scared me to death."

"Sorry. I needed some space," Kara wasn't sure if this was S.H.I.E.L.D., but the man in black sort of gave it away. It was good to see her little sister again and knowing she was protected calmed her nerves.

"Kara, I'm Nick Fury. We need to talk," he placed his hand on her shoulder and she side stepped him.

"I need to talk to Steve first," Kara squared her shoulders as she glared back at the tall one eyed man.

"Alright," Nick said back as he escorted her to his vehicle. Once they were inside, Kara felt a little uneasy. She hoped beyond hope Jenny hadn't spilled the beans about her.

The SUV drove down to a museum that should be closed at this hour. Nick got out, holding the door open for her. "Steve will be her shortly. Let me show you in."

Jenny stayed in the SUV while Nick and Kara went inside. They walked pass the WWI and WWII exhibits before they stopped at the Captain American exhibit.

"Is there a reason why I'm meeting Steve here?"

"Because, I need some answers," Steve stepped out of a darkened alcove with this very long look on his face.

"What is it you think I can answer for you?" Kara needed to make sure she could talk to Steve privately without coming right out and asking for it.

Steve placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked over to Bucky's memorial. Kara couldn't look at it, couldn't look at the face of the man she had started to fall for. Steve took her hand and pulled her to a bench as her eyes began to tear up. "I want to help, Kara, but I can't if you don't let me in."

"Is it safe? Is S.H.I.E.L.D. safe? Can the people you work for be trusted?" Kara gave him a stern stare, needing him to give her direct and honest answers.

"I'm working on making sure it is. Right now, it's me, Natasha, Nick, Sharon, Sam and Jenny. We're trying to put it all back together. We all have jobs to do and I need you to do your part," Steve placed his hand on her shoulder and she began to cry.

"Why am I and Jenny on a Hydra hit list?" she didn't look up at him, she couldn't. Steve had this deep sadness in his blue eyes that nearly matched her own.

"I'll have Jenny brief you on what happened. I know what you can do, see the future. If you have any visions, you have to tell me. Jenny thought maybe you went after the man you saw. That man," Steve pointed to Bucky's image on the glass memorial.

"I ran because I got scared. I've seen things, seen people die. I want to help, but you can't cage me in. You have to let me do my own thing," she wiped her tears and walked over to the memorial, her fingers tracing over Bucky's face.

Steve walked up behind her, placing his large hands on her shoulders. "He's my best friend. My brother in every way. He's out there somewhere, Kara and I have to find him. He's lost… been lost for a long time. I know it's his face that you've seen. You've probably seen the worst of humanity, but I'm one of the good guys and so is he. He just doesn't know it yet. Please, trust me."

Kara turned to face him, his large bulking figure looming over her. "What did Jenny tell you about me?"

"Just that Hydra wants you because you get visions or dreams of the future. They see you as a threat because you can see what they'll do before they do it. For that, they can't let you live. Nick wants to sequester you in a safe house, but that would leave you a sitting duck. I'm going to give you this, it's a tracker. Jenny is a trained agent, so as long as you're with her I know you'll be safe. If you ever need me, push the button on the tracker and I'll find you. Kara… you get a flash, a glimpse of anything, especially Bucky… call me." Steve placed the small black box in her hand, his large hand covering hers. She looked down at the tracker, wondering if it was already working and he had tricked her. Steve had trusting eyes, an honest face and all around good guy image so she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Can I have a moment?" she asked as she tucked the tracker in her pocket and Steve nodded his head. She turned to look at Bucky's image and knew there was no turning back now.

Jenny was waiting on her when she walked out. Nick and Steve as well as the other SUV's were gone. Jenny took her hand, pulling her down the stairs to the waiting SUV. Kara opened the passenger's door to take a quick look inside. When she found it empty, she scooted into the seat.

"You can trust them, you can trust me. I know you're scared and I haven't exactly been honest about what I really do for a living. We're sticking together until Captain Rogers calls me back. Keep your phone and tracker on you at all times, okay? My apartment is being watched and you can't go home either. I've been staying with Nick, but he's leaving on his own mission. Where do you think we should go?" Jenny looked over at her and Kara had seen that look before. Jenny was the best at being coy. She could get answers without asking any questions at all.

"Anywhere is good with me. Can I get my truck first?" Kara was hoping to retrieve the gun she had underneath the truck seat, but Jenny shook her head, driving past the park.

"It's not safe, Kara. We'll stay at the apartment above the gym. You still have the key Jim gave you?" Jenny turned the SUV towards the freeway when just a flash of a vision hit her. It wasn't enough to cause her a full out mental breakdown, but it still jolted her. She could see Bucky driving towards D.C., looking for her. The old beat up work truck was parked outside her apartment and Bucky was being pulled out unconscious. She shook off the vision and quickly answered her sister.

"No. Jim's granddaughter stays there now. We can stay at my place tonight, then we'll hit the road in the morning. I have the tracker so one night will be safe. Maybe stay at Aunt Leigha's place tomorrow." Jenny smiled, nodding her head. Kara was glad Jenny was starting to lighten up. All this spy shit was really getting on her nerves and having her sister more or less interrogate her was starting to piss her off.

"One night, Kara. Pack a bag and we're out first thing in the morning," they pulled up to her apartment building and Kara ran out ahead of her. She stopped at the front desk, asking the night clerk for her spare key.

Lily smiled at her, getting the key from the lock box. "Lock yourself out again, Kara?"

"You know me," she smiled back at her as she took the key and joined Jenny at the elevator. Jenny kept her hand on her sidearm, acting a little jumpy. "We're in deep shit, aren't we?" Kara fumble the key through her fingers as Jenny looked straight ahead. She watched as her sister mindlessly tapped her index finger on the back of her gun.

The elevator doors slide open and a large, muscle bound man got off. Jenny's eyes locked on him, following him until he walked out the doors. Kara could see how tense her sister was, how tight her shoulders looked. Jenny was usually so easy going, even in stressful situations. Jenny ate stress for breakfast and laughed in the face of chaos. Kara was a fucking mess after their parents died, but Jenny took it all in stride and kept Kara calm.

Seeing Jenny like this now made Kara worry she had bitten off more than she could chew. She knew Bucky was on his way here, to her apartment and from the brief vision she had, he was in danger. She had to keep an eye on the front and keep Jenny from freaking out. "Jenny?" she called out to her sister and they entered the lift. Jenny stayed nearly immobile the entire ride up and didn't relax at all after they entered the apartment.

Kara did as Jenny had asked her and went directly into her room to pack a bag. She tossed some workout clothes, sweater, extra shoes and underwear. She wasn't sure how long she'd be 'on the run', so she just took what she had too. Jenny walked in with a protein shake, handing it to her.

"Have you eaten?" Jenny took a sip of hers, smiling as Kara took hers.

"No, I haven't… thanks," Kara took it, finding it this whole ordeal odd. She took her bag and tossed it on the couch as she made her way over to the kitchen table. She could see the front of the building from her fire escape, so she made her way out there. Jenny came out, still sipping her shake.

"Don't stay out her long. We're gone at first light. I mean it, Kara," Jenny walked back into the apartment, leaving Kara alone with her thoughts.

She picked up the shake to take a drink when it shattered in her hand. Kara quickly jumped to her feet when another bullet whizzed past her and through the window. "Jenny!"

Kara's heart was hammering hard in her chest as she turned to go back in. She was almost through the window when she felt a hand grip her ankle. Her green eyes turned to see a dark figure pulling her towards him or her. She swirled around, landing an impressive foot on her attacker's face and the top of her foot was stinging as she used the back of her heel to clock the large intruded in the chin.

When a metal hand came up to grab her foot, she nearly sank to the floor of the fire escape. "Bucky?"

Jenny came racing out, her gun drawn. All Kara saw was the silver of gun Jenny's slide back with a loud crack. The bullet bounced off Bucky's metal arm as he raised it to defend himself. Jenny fired again as Kara screamed for her to stop. The moment seemed to go by in slow motion as Kara watched bullets zip by. She turned her head just in time to see a smoking gun in Bucky's hand and the horrifying sound of her sister's skull being ripped open.

Kara tore herself from Bucky's metal grip, screaming and crying. "You bastard!"

Bucky lunged forward, taking her by the waist as she slapped and punched him. He let her hit him, let her call him all sorts of names. She didn't understand, she couldn't see what he saw.

"Kara… look," Bucky gripped her face, making her look at the body lying on her living room floor. Where Jenny's face had been was now a woman she didn't recognize at all. Bucky let go of her to walk over to the body, taking a metal disk from the stranger's temple. "It's a morphing disc. She was never your sister. Not sure where Jenny is, but we'll find her. Go get your shit. We need to go."

Bucky waited for her to return, hoping they could get out of here before S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra showed up.

Kara ran back with her bag over her shoulder. She lifted her teary green eyes to him as she showed him the blinking tracker in her hand. "I'm sorry, I panicked. He'll be here soon. We have to go." She placed the tracker on the fire escape as they both raced down it. Bucky nearly pulled her into the truck as he slid into the driver's seat. He started the rambling wreck of a truck and headed down a few back alleys.

Soon, several black SUV's were at her apartment. When a motorcycle passed by them as they made the turn towards the freeway, Kara knew it was Steve. She was on the run again, without giving Steve any of the answers he was so desperate to have. "Steve just wants to help. Maybe he can. We might need him to find Jenny." Kara's blood ran ice cold when Bucky turned his steely blue gaze at her.

"Steve can't help. What we have to do… what I have to do… Steve can't do. There will be blood and I won't have that on his hands." Bucky needed to keep Steve separate from his battle with Hydra. Steve was still one of the good ones, someone he knew he would need if he was ever going to be whole again. Someone that could save Kara if he fucked up.

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 **Thanks for all the support, follows, favorites and reviews.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for all the support. All the favorites and follows are very much appreciated. To my Beta, thanks for being so wonderful and giving me your time when you have so little to give.**

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Bucky pushed the truck to its limits, the engine on the verge of overheating. They drove to the farmhouse in record time and Kara's mind had been so wrapped around the fact that Jenny was probably in Hydra's custody that she didn't realize the truck had stopped.

"You okay?" Bucky finally spoke, pulling Kara to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and finally let out the tears that had been dammed up behind her eyes. He capped the back of her head, stroking her long auburn hair as she sobbed so hard she shook.

"They have her and she's probably…" she couldn't finish that sentence. Jenny was her only family left, she had no one. Bucky held her a little tighter, feeling the emptiness that was choking her. He felt it to, the utter loneliness that filled his every waking moment.

"She's not dead. You have to believe that. They need her, Kara. She knows things. I'll take you back. You need Steve to help you find her," Bucky started to put the truck in drive when she placed her hand over his.

"No. I need you. You said it yourself. Steve can't… be what you are. I need the Winter Soldier to get my sister back," Kara hated saying those words. The look in his eyes told her he didn't want to be that man, that ghost, but for her, he would.

They exited the truck and Kara's eyes immediately took in the grave beside the barn. "Mr. Belov?"

Bucky nodded his head and reached his hand to her. Kara laced her fingers with his as they walked towards the farmhouse. She wasn't sure where to go or what to do, to get her sister back. All she could hope for was that Bucky was right, that Hydra was keeping her alive.

When she entered what used to be her home, she saw the maps and papers scattered about. The language on them was unknown to her as her eyes scanned over them. Bucky began to gather them up, shoving them in a box. "What are you doing?" she asked as he placed the radio from the barn in a box as well.

"Finding your sister. Hydra wants you and they're going to use Jenny to get you," his eyes cut to her as he gave her a quick glance. The thought of telling Steve had crossed both of their minds but if Hydra had infiltrated Steve's inner circle, they were really on their own.

"Where are we going?" Kara asked as Bucky walked the boxes out to the truck. She couldn't help but stare as his backside, her carnal needs still begging to be quenched.

He walked back in, placing his hands on her face and locking eyes with her. "Misha's house is safe for us right now. They won't think of looking for us there. As long as I send them back responses using the code I can keep them off our trail and maybe get info on Jenny. But to do that they have to think we're not here… or ever coming back," Bucky darted his eyes from her knowing what he had to do wouldn't be easy for Kara to watch. He picked up the red container of gasoline he found in the barn and began to pour it over the floor.

"No… Bucky. You can't. It's the only home I have left. Please… don't do this… please," Kara felt her heart breaking in her chest as he ignored her. This was all she had left of her mother, her grandparents and he was about to turn her memories to ash.

Kara gripped his right hand, trying to take the lighter from him. He turned his face slightly to her as he lit the flint and dropped the lighter. "Run."

They ran out as the old farmhouse crackled and creaked, the gasoline soaked boards blazing in the dark of the night. Kara ran to the truck, sliding inside and slamming the door. She watched as the flames roared out of the roof and the house collapsed. Bucky stayed outside, watching as the flames took everything. He moved on to the barn next, doing the same to it.

Once the farm was no more, he climbed in the truck to see a tearful Kara. "I get it. I do. For Jenny… for my sister."

Kara did understand, but that didn't mean she liked it. Her life was a mess, a mere reflection of what she once had, but then again her life had never really been normal. The man sitting across from her wasn't normal and she wasn't either. Part of her loved this, loved the way Bucky made her feel, but part of that scared her. Part of that left her needing Bucky more and more.

They drove out to Misha's house a little over a mile away as the smoke and flames bellowed behind them. Bucky felt a pang of guilt for what he did as he watched the tears roll down her face. He'd grown close to her in a way, beyond the dreams. She was here and real and wanted him. He hadn't forgotten what they almost did in the bunker, how good she felt in his arms. How completely right it felt to be inside her. If not for the memories that flooded his mind that night, he would have fucked her until they were both exhausted.

As if she could read his thoughts, she scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and tucked her closer to him. Kara didn't want to be without him, didn't want anything to put a wedge between them. Bucky was more than the man from her visions, more than just the Sergeant that went off to war. He was a man of flesh, blood and bone. A man with a heart that had real feelings, a man that had memories that alluded him. There was a kindness behind his sea blue eyes, a warmth in his touch, a sincerity in his words that made her believe James Barnes was a good man. It was that man she would gladly fight a war to save.

"I'm going to get you back to your life soon. I promise," Bucky pulled the truck up next to the house and turned off the engine.

Kara lifted her eyes to him, seeing his face barely light by the porch light. "I don't want my old life back. That life was full of visions that confused me. Now I have a purpose, now I have a reason to go on. I won't go back to that hum drum life, Bucky. I can't. I won't see you in my mind and not be able to touch you… to feel you."

"Why, Kara? After everything you'd seen me do. I just don't understand," Bucky kept his eyes on her, seeing the smile not only on her lips but in the sparkling jade of her eyes.

Kara lowered her eyes, leaning closer to his ear. "Because I've seen your struggle. I've seen no matter how many times they wipe your memories, you find your way back. Your mind may be blank, but your heart… remembers." Her hand slid over his scruffy cheek, her lips gliding over his as his arm pulled her closer to him. Their tongues meet, tasting each other wildly as if they are about to consume one another. Bucky let out a moan as Kara bit his bottom lip, her hands now firmly in his hair. He pulled back from her, exited the truck and pulled her out with him.

They were twisted around each other. Kara's legs locked around his waist, her arms around his neck. Bucky's arms were around her waist and hips as he carried her into the house, their lips sealed together. The fire that was raging through Kara was an inferno of lust that had been building up, needing Bucky's touch to stoke the roaring flames. He felt it too, that heat of delicious friction that tingled in all the right places. Kara was intoxicating, her kisses only making him crave more. It was as if her touch was healing him, making him whole again. The man he was once didn't seem like a faded memory, not when he was with her.

The spasms that raked Kara's body were sending jolts of intense pleasure to her apex and coursing up her spine. His lips moved between hard and soft, his tongue dominating hers as he plunged it between her soft lips. The training he'd gone through, those sharp killer instincts were no match for the way Kara made him feel. His body hummed, his cock throbbed and his heart hammered within his chest. They were both becoming breathless as he walked up on the porch, kicking the front door open and placing her down on the couch. He rested on one knee between her parted legs as his body hovered over hers. Kara pulled back, licking her swollen lips and stared at him.

"Is this what you want?" she asked as she lost herself in the cool blue of his eyes.

Bucky leaned down, claiming her lips again. He did want this, wanted her, but he wasn't sure if she would unlock his memories again. He needed to be here with her, not lost in the haze of the past. "I want to try."

His answer was as honest as he could be with her and from the small smile on her lips, he knew she understood. Kara stroked his cheek, letting her thumb brush over his bottom lip. "Try."

Bucky rose to his feet with a smirk and took her hand. She gripped his right hand hard as he walked up the stairs with her following behind. All she could think of was the last time and how it got interrupted, not just by the intruder but by this connection they shared. It would be frustrating as hell if that happened again, but for Bucky, she'd gladly take the torture. She needed him to remember, needed him to see that man she saw through his memories.

The bedroom was at the end of the hall, the door swung open. Bucky pulled her inside, lifting her up in his arms and kissing her from her lips and down her neck as he placed her on the bed. The bed was still made up, the knitted spread reminding her of her grandmother. She closed her eyes to the pain of losing her family home and opened her heart to the man that she was needing so badly, who also needed her as well.

"Bucky," Kara said softly as he kneeled on the floor beside her. His hand roamed down her side and under her oversized t-shirt. His metal hand rested gently on her cheek as his flesh hand cupped her breast. She leaned her head back in the pillow, feeling the flood of arousal soak her panties. "Christ… just fuck me."

He gave her a crooked smile as he jerked the t-shirt and sports bra up, letting his mouth worship her alabaster breast. He kissed around the orb, licking the round curve all the way up to her pebbling nipple. His metal hand slid down her arm, resting under her ass. She arched her back, grinding her hips up at him as he took her nipple in his mouth, teasing her with the tip of his tongue. She slammed her eyes shut as his metal hand gripped her hip and pinned her to the bed. Bucky released the pink bud, blowing over it gently. "I want you naked," he growled out as he released her and began to pull her shirt and bra over her head. Kara pulled off her shoes and unfastened her pants, letting out a shuddered moan as he jerked the pants down her legs. She watched as his flesh and metal fingers hooked into the sides of her panties. Her core was throbbing, her folds slick with want as Bucky tortuously slipped her panties off her hips, down her legs and over her ankles as he kissed each inch of skin along the way. His long hair skimmed along her skin, adding to the overload of sensation. Kara bucked her hips wildly, feeling her core clenching so tight she was sure she'd blow at any moment.

Bucky stood up, removed his shirt and gave her a heated stare as he dropped his pants and kicked off his shoes. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as he walked towards her. His manhood was impressive, hard, thick and leaking. She reached out to touch him and he stood still as she let her fingertips roll down his hard stomach, over his Adonis Belt and stop at the dark hair at the base of his cock. She used one finger to trace down his long shaft and he jerked his hips forward, feeling his body cave into his desires. Her hands grip the back of his strong thighs as he let her lips taste him.

"Oh… Kara," he grunted out as she took more and more of him into her mouth while her nails digging into his thighs. She was giving him more pleasure than he could honestly remember. It was those memories that slowly came back to him as she bobbed her head back and forth, allowing her tongue to stroke him. Bucky gripped her head, fighting the urge to shove all of him deep in her mouth. She flicked her eyes up to him, seeing how close he was to coming. She pulled back, letting the tip of her tongue lick the underside. Bucky opened his eyes, looking at the pleased smile on her face. He lifted her up, taking her lips. She was already soaked, but the fact, Bucky was kissing her, tasting himself on her lips was causing her walls the spasm out of control.

"Now Bucky… I need you now," she whispered out between kisses. He was done playing too, he needed to feel her, all of her. Bucky flipped her around, bent her over the bed and pulled her hips up to him as she balanced herself on the tips of her toes. Her bare ass was exposed to him as his knee pushed her legs apart. He positioned himself behind her, letting the tip of his cock slid up and down her slick, soaked slit. The grunt that left his lips made her quiver. She wanted him deep inside and this languid pace was madding. She pushed her hips backwards and he stilled her motions with both of his hands. She could feel the head of his cock resting at her entrance, his fingers firm against her flesh. Kara dug her fingers into the covers, resting her cheek against the bedspread. Bucky wasn't easy at all as he slammed into her to the hilt. He filled her all at once, his hips smacking hard against her ass.

"Holy fuck!" she screamed out as his quick motion rocked her hard. She took in a deep breath as he pulled back out and slammed back in. He stalled for a moment when he felt her legs tremble. Bucky let his hands slid from her hips, up her sides to her shoulders, using them to brace himself as he thrusted slowly and with purpose while he stroked her walls with such expertise it was as if his cock was made for her. His first motions were of want, need and lust, the burning fever to feel all of her at once. He could tell by the rigidness of her body that he was being too forceful and part of him just wanted to stop. He stroked his hands over her shoulders and let the bliss that was washing over the both of them guide him with slow, even thrust that tantalized each and every inch of both their bodies.

Kara understood his urgency, but she was grateful he slowed his pace. He was strong and had stamina for days, but right now he was letting instinct take over and the heat between them was spurring this massive wave of pleasure that was ebbing at the peak. Each thrust sent them both closer to the edge, every time her walls clenched around him almost did him in. They were both breathing heavy, sweat covering their bodies and the sound of their union echoed through the empty farmhouse. Kara was about to give in when she felt something different, something new. She could feel Bucky's pleasure, the way she felt to him, the complete euphoria that being inside her brought him. It was too much as her own pleasure swept through her, washing her way. She tilted her head up and screamed his name.

Bucky began to ride her harder, her body jolting up in the bed as his hands claimed her hips again. "Kara, you feel so good." He'd remembered this feeling that made his balls tingle and sent pulses of liquid fire through his body. He remembered it, but it never felt this good, never felt this right. Kara fit him like a glove, molded around him to perfection and each thrust into her velvet was more heaven than he thought he'd ever find.

"Coming… now," Kara nearly screamed out as the feeling of both hers and Bucky's climax took her to places she'd never been before.

As she tipped over the edge so did Bucky, the two of them crumbled to the bed in a sloppy mess. Bucky lay on his back, his right hand stroking Kara's back. He closed his eyes, then opened them quickly, when he didn't hear her breathing. He sprang up, looking at her nearly lifeless body as she came down from her orgasm.

"Are you okay?" he asked her as he pulled her in his lap, kissing her flushed cheek. She looked beautiful with her blown pupils and sated glow. All Kara could do was nod her head as she cuddle into his chest. The metal hand that could crush the barrel of a gun was suddenly gentle as he stroked her face, placing her sweaty auburn hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry … about being so…" he felt awful for hurting her but the smile on her face soothed the sting of his guilt.

"You didn't hurt me, James. You could never hurt me," exhaustion took her over as Bucky rolled them down on the bed, his body curling around hers as they lay there naked, listening the beat of each other's hearts.


	13. Chapter 13

The room was quiet and the other side of the bed was empty. Kara stretched her hand out to find Bucky only to find herself alone. She tossed her legs over the side of the bed, picked up the t-shirt she'd been wearing and slipped it on. Her body was still humming from the incredible orgasm she'd had just a few hours ago and she was eager for more. The sound of a low crackle that was followed by an audible clicking was echoing down the hall. She walked down the hallway towards the living room where she found Bucky sitting at a desk, his broad shoulders looking so muscular and tan in the low light.

"What ya doing?" she asked as she walked up behind him. Bucky turned his head, his side profile taking her breath for a moment.

"Sending a message to Hydra. They don't know about Belov and I'm going to use that to our advantage," Bucky reached his hand out, taking hers and pulling her into his lap. He was wearing his cargo pants and nothing more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a slow, heated kiss. Bucky's hands went to her face, his lips moving in unison with hers. Kara could feel his hardening manhood against her thigh as she squirmed around until she was straddling him. "Let's go back to bed."

"In a minute. This is important," Bucky gave her one more kiss, his tongue licking her bottom lip. Kara smiled back at him, letting her fingers play with the hair at the back of his neck.

"I'll be on the couch when you're done," her words came out all low and seductive, causing Bucky to smirk.

Kara rose off his lap while his hands slide down her curves, over her thighs and came up to cup her sex. His index finger found her naked mound as he let the tip of his index finger graze her slick lips. Kara let out a moan as her knees buckled. Bucky braced his metal arm around her waist, letting his flesh fingers have their way with her.

"Just take me back to bed, James," Kara whispered out as her forehead tipped forward to rest against his metal shoulder. His thick digit slipped past her folds and up to her hard bud. As soon as he touched it, she came undone, moaning and thrusting her hips as he fondled the sensitive spot over and over.

His lips found her neck, kissing and sucking her heated flesh. His finger circled around her clit, massaging her into a fit of spasms. "Bucky… please."

"Please, what?" Bucky growled out to her as his teeth gently nibbled her earlobe.

"Fuck me," she hissed out as his fingers moved from her clit to circle, then enter her wet, welcoming core. The feel of his fingers working against her throbbing walls was nearly enough to make her lose all control. She was still straddling him, her feet balancing on her toes. The look on Bucky's face, in his deep blue eyes was only adding to the heat that was consuming her. The feel of his cool metal arm around her, the feel of each plate moving and contracting as he flexed to hold her was in itself sexy as fuck, but to feel the want coming from him that dripped from his eyes was what was really sitting her skin ablaze. A loud ping came from the radio, then a random bunch of dashes and dots that made up the code that Bucky had been working on all morning. Kara turned to look at the radio when Bucky let go of her waist and took her chin, making him look at her.

"Look at me. Only me, beautiful," Bucky continued to pump his fingers inside of her, letting his lips take hers. His kiss was slow and needy, taking her breath with each pull. When he felt her core squeeze around his fingers he gave her a smirk, then curled his fingers just enough to push against the one spot he knew would send her bucking like an untamed horse.

"Bucky!" Kara screamed, tossing her head back. A blast of pure pleasure, of deep needed desire hit her and she knew it was Bucky's need for her. "James… don't stop. Yes!"

The radio clicked over and over, tapping out some message she hoped Bucky was getting. Bucky never broke stride as he poured every bit of his want for her into each thrust of his fingers. Kara gave her body over to him and in return he gave her yet another mind blowing orgasm. Her body crumbled against him after he pulled his fingers from her tight, wet core. She draped her arms over his shoulders, her breathing starting to return to normal.

He picked her up in his arms with her legs still wrapped around his waist and walked her back to the bed. "Get some rest. I'll be back to finish what I started."

"Buck," Kara curled up on her side, gripping his pillow as she smiled at him. Hearing her call him that made him smile. He loved to hear his given name fall from her lips too. It made him feel more normal, more like the man he wanted to be. "I don't know what's going on between us, but I really like it."

Bucky stroked her cheek with the back of his metal fingers, while keeping his ears open for the message from Hydra. "Good, because I really like it too." She let out a sated sigh as he kissed her forehead and went back to the radio.

Kara was quickly to sleep, letting the calm from being with Bucky wash over her. He was incredible, his touch damn near perfect, but she wasn't stupid enough to let down her guard completely. Bucky had a dark side, a part of him that still hadn't let her light touch it. He was rough around the edges, but she was doing her best to show him he was worth loving.

Click after click had buzzed from the radio and Bucky worked feverishly to remember what he had heard. The last click was sent and there on the page before him was orders from Hydra to find Kara Bennett and bring her to an operative that had been working from inside SHIELD. The location was one he'd been to before. An old army depot just a day's ride from the farmhouse. He tapped out a coded message back quickly, saying the farmhouse was burnt to the ground and Kara hasn't been seen since.

A voice came across the radio that made Bucky grip the table hard. "Belov. You find that girl. Her sister says she's the key to getting the asset back. Find her."

Silence fell over the room. No clicking, pings or tapping of any kind. It was as if the radio stopped working at all. Bucky tapped out a quick message, letting them know he understood. They still had no idea, Misha Belov was dead and gone, but it would only be a matter of time before the operative would come looking for him himself. When Bucky heard a gasp coming from behind him, he jerked around to see Kara standing there with a blanket wrapped around her. "Who was that?"

"He calls himself Jack, he worked with Pierce to take down SHIELD. He's Belov's commanding officer. They want you, to get to me," Bucky saw the look in her scared jade eyes. She knew. Hydra had tortured the truth about Kara out of Jenny and her sister was in grave danger.

Kara walked slowly towards him, her heart hammering in her chest. "We have to find her."

Bucky rose to his feet, running his real hand through his long, dark hair. "We will."

"Use me… as bait. They'll come for me and you can take them. Get the information we need," she was serious and he knew it. There wasn't one quiver to her voice, one shred of doubt in her eyes as he stared back at her.

"That's dangerous," Bucky couldn't put her in harm's way. He cared for her… needed her and he'd be damned if Hydra laid a finger on her. She was so loving, so giving and she truly didn't care what happened to her if it meant getting her sister back and keeping Bucky safe. "Let me get more information from them first. Belov was a top operative and I'm sure we'll find answers here."

Kara walked back to the bedroom, sitting on the bed as she gazed out the window. Her reflection in the glass took her by surprise. Her eyes looked tired, her face pale and body looked a little beat up. Bucky sat beside her, wrapping his right arm around her. They didn't speak as she leaned into his chest, letting her arms draped around his waist.

"If it's a fight Hydra wants, then by hell, we'll give them one. I didn't ask for this, ask for my abilities, but I'm glad I have them… that I have you." Kara wrapped her arms around him a little tighter and Bucky rested his chin on the top of her head.

"How can you say that? I'm a walking nightmare, Kara. I'm your walking nightmare," he lifted his chin when she titled her head to look up at him.

"You're wrong. You didn't ask for this life either, James but here we are. They used you, changed you and without them I wouldn't have you now. I hate them for what they've done to you and what they are, no doubt doing to Jenny, but every time you woke up and I saw you, I was a little relieved. I saw the masked monster that Hydra made, but I could feel James Barnes when they put you back to sleep. It was those brief moments before you were locked back into your icy slumber that I saw your regret, felt your sorrow for the life you took. James Buchannan Barnes fell from that train, but he never died. He lives in here," Kara placed her hand on his chest, over his heart as one single tear rolled down her cheek.

Bucky didn't know what to say. She was right. His memories were starting to come back to him and each kiss. Every touch from her opened the floodgates to his mind. He wasn't sure when or why he starting seeing her while he slept, seeing her smile and those jewel green eyes, but it was Kara that kept him sane when the pain came again. The last few times they wiped his mind, he kept the image of her face, the memory of her name. If angels did exist, he was sure Kara was one.

He pulled them both down to the bed, his lips taking hers as he held on to her. She returned his kiss, letting her fingers push into his long dark hair. They lay clinging to each other, their lips moving in a slow dance as they enjoy the simplicity of just being together. It was in that moment that Kara realized part of her had fallen in love with Bucky way before she'd ever met him. She opened her eyes and smiled back at him as he held her face, kissing her softly across her jaw and down her neck.

"I… think I'm falling in love with you," she stammered out and Bucky froze. His lips rested on her neck as his hands went still on her face.

Her heart quickly picked up its pace, her worst fears playing over in her mind. Did she just say that? How stupid can she be? Oh God, what if… what if he leaves? So many questions raced through her mind as she stared back into Bucky's bewildered eyes. It wasn't until Bucky kissed her again that she let out the breath she'd been holding. He kissed her deeply, as if he needed her touch, her lips to survive.

"Bucky?" Kara asked as soon as their lips parted. He gave her a small smile as he rolled her on top of him, his hands resting on her backside. She let her weight rest on him, feeling his strong body beneath her. His fingers dug into the curves of her ass, making her yelp. "Bucky Barnes."

"Kara. I barely remember what love feels like, what loving someone feels like, but I'm pretty damn sure it feels like this," his lips are on her neck, his tongue licking her soft skin. Kara was beyond elated that Bucky wanted her, needed her like she needed him. Maybe the long years of being in each other's lives had left an impression on them both, a longing they never knew existed until they touched.

His hands moved up her body, resting on her hips as she flexed her them, grinding her heated core against him. Bucky gave her a sexy smirk that made the flutters in her belly quiver until she was nearly panting. "I'm yours… all yours."

There was this heat that consumed them both when they were together. It was so thick, so palatable that it made it hard to breath. Bucky didn't mind the heady feeling he got when he was with Kara, but he knew he couldn't truly get lost in her. That little bit of reservation was visible to Kara. She knew it was the situation they were in and not her he was being so cautious about. The moments they had would have to be brief, stolen moments. They didn't have the luxury to let go of everything and just belong to each other. When that day came, Kara knew the pleasure, the utter bliss she felt from being with Bucky would be magnified tenfold.

Bucky placed soft kisses up her neck, stopping at her ear. "I heard that."

Kara furrowed her brow as she smiled back at him. "Heard what?"

"Your stomach. I'm hungry too. Let's eat, explore the house, then we'll have dessert," he pushed her off of him and sat up in the edge of the bed. Kara placed kisses down his spine as her fingertips slowly traced up and down his sides.

"Dessert? I sure hope you don't mean the sugary kind," she giggled as she exited the bed. Bucky caught her hand, pulling her back down into his lap. His hand slide under her t-shirt, making her flesh prickle as he traveled up towards her breast. His flesh hand cupped her breast, massaging it as he caressed her exposed collarbone. The scruff of his cheek sent jolts straight to her core, causing her knees to slam together.

"Bucky… breakfast," she said the words in a breathy moan as his lips began to suck at the hollow of her neck. She wanted him, wanted to feel all of him deep inside of her. The fire that was being sparked by his kisses was surly going to scorch every inch of her flesh.

When his lips stopped, she opened her eye to see the deep blue of his drinking her in. "Oh, I mean the sugary kind. The kind that my tongue can't wait to lap up."

"Fuck," Kara said slowly as he helped her back up to her feet. She had a new desire now, a new want that was causing her walls to vibrate violently.

Bucky gave her a sly smirk as he scooped her up in his arms, smiling as she giggled loudly and he carried her to the kitchen. Before he sat her down on her feet, he gave her a slow, lip searing kiss that made her nearly go limp. "I could get used to this. What are you doing to me, Kara Bennett?"

Kara's eyes stayed glued to his as he placed her down. She could feel herself being pulled to him even more. No vision, no flash, no glimpse of him had ever rocked her that way being near him did. There was this tether, this invisible rope wrapped around her heart that was now wrapped around him too. Bucky felt it, knew she was special. She was his now and no one was going to separate them.

After a few seconds, Kara looked away from him as his stomach growled loudly. Bucky began to open the cabinet doors, pulling out all sorts of boxes. Kara saw a box of pancake mix and quickly check the fridge. "We're in luck."

Bucky turned to look at her as she held a carton of milk in her hand. The sparkles of happiness in her eyes made him feel this honest contentment. Moments like this would be far and few, but for right now he'd take this one.

As Kara made them a stack of pancakes and fried up some bacon, Bucky got dressed and checked the perimeter. He needed to see what Misha had stored away or what other Hydra tools could be at his disposable.

The farm house was your typical house with a living room, kitchen, sitting room and bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs. The small shed and storage building across from the house held some promise. After searching the house, Bucky came up empty. No guns, no weapons of any kind. He knew Hydra wouldn't leave an agent out in the field without means to defend or any possible way to take down an assailant. As soon as Bucky opened the storage building door, he knew there was more than meets the eye. He stomped around the old weathered floor until he heard the echo he was looking for. He tossed the canvas tarp off the section at the back and found a trapped door. A ladder ascended down towards the darkness as he entered Mr. Belov's secret hideaway. He walked down a short corridor until he entered a small room. A small light dangled from the ceiling above him, illuminating the room just enough. On the walls were guns, knives, bullet proof vests and small round silver balls he knew were grenades. In the back of the room was a large cord board with pictures of Kara, Jenny, and an older man he didn't know. He took the picture, folding it and placing it in his cargo pocket. The maps were marked with places Kara and Jenny had been. More pictures of Kara at the gym and some of Jenny leaving SHIELD Headquarters. The one that caught Bucky's attention was the picture of Kara sitting by her parent's grave, crying. His index finger rubbed over her image, her tears rolling down her sweet face. He wasn't sure why she was crying, but he was sure he wouldn't let anything hurt her again.

"James… Breakfast!" A small memory of his mother calling him to breakfast shook him. He fell to his knees as the memory surged forward. Then he saw her, but it was Steve's mother and they were young boys racing in the yard as a much smaller Steve darted up in steps to beat him inside. The memory soon faded, leaving Bucky with all sorts of feelings. He was remembering more and more of his old life, more and more of the man his girl called, James.

He took the pictures, a knife, a gun and some ammo and headed back up to her. There she was standing on the back porch, the wind blowing her auburn hair back and the sunrise making her face look angelic. "Smells good."

"Thanks. I made the entire box. Want you to keep your strength up. I got plans for you, Mr. Barnes," she gave him a playful smile and a swat on the ass as he walked in. The table was set with coffee, two stacks of pancakes and bacon. He hadn't had a meal like this in forever and it was nice to share it with someone that truly cared about him.

Kara placed a few pancakes on her plate as Bucky laid claim to the other stack. She grinned at him as she passed him the syrup. "You gonna eat all of that? That's a lot of carbs."

"You said you wanted me to keep my strength up," he said coyly as he stuffed his face. Kara was about to kiss his syrup covered lips when she saw a picture sticking out of his pocket. She swiped it and took a look, her eyes getting bigger as she stared at him. Bucky placed his fork back on the plate and took her hand. "Do you know him?"

"Yes, but this can't be. Bucky… this man… is my father," Kara ran from the room with Bucky right behind her. He caught her in his arms before she could run out of the living room. They both crumpled to the floor as Kara just looked back at him, shock covering her face. She wasn't sure if she should cry, scream or not believe it at all. Bucky held her face between his hands, wishing he could take the hurt from her eyes. "I need to find Jenny. I need answers, Buck."

"I'll get them for you, not matter what," he kissed her forehead as she wrapped herself around him, causing his anger to boil deep inside his chest.

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 **Thanks for all your support.**


	14. Chapter 14

Kara stared at the picture of her father as Bucky looked around the house for any information on his whereabouts. Her eyes filled with tears as she took in his weathered features. His once vibrant blue eyes now looked dull with deep dark circles under them. His raven hair was now peppered with gray, especially around his temples. He looked older than his fifty five years would suggest. There was something there, something in the twisted way he pinched his lips that told Kara more than she wanted to know. He wasn't just a prisoner of Hydra, he was an experiment. She'd seen that look on Bucky's face through her visions. That twisted look of unbearable pain that didn't end when the source of the pain stopped. Her heart began to beat rapidly as the thought of Jenny being tortured, being experimented on raced through her mind.

"Bucky!" Kara screamed as she raced up the stairs to find him. He was inside another hidden room that lay behind the bedroom closet. Stacks of boxes lined the wall with folders on Hydra operatives and Hydra targets in each box.

He turned his head to look at her as she came running in the room. The look of terror that covered her face scared him, putting him on guard. "Kara, what's wrong," he asked her as he pulled his gun from the back of his pants. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on as if she may crumble into a thousand pieces. His arms wrapped around her as they both slumped to the floor. Her heart was thumping so loudly he could hear it, the beats booming in his ears. Without thinking, he began to kiss her, letting her tears fall on his face.

As his lips glided over hers, she let her body melt into his arms. He was giving more of himself than he'd given another human being in years. She was the reason for that. He needed her, he knew that and he wasn't about to be without her. Their kisses slowed to this languid pace that ended with Kara being out of breath and Bucky wanting to take her right there on the floor.

"Thank you," Kara whispered out as she untangled herself from his embrace and they rose from the floor. Bucky placed his hands on her face, letting his thumbs stroked her cheeks as he listened to her heartbeat. He truly loved the pale pink across each cheek that he gave her.

"You good?" he kissed her forehead as he took her hand, leading her into the closet.

"Yeah. For now. What did you find?" she saw the open folder on the floor, the one about a Hydra facility in Siberia, Russia. She picked it up and could feel an old memory, an old vision stirred in her mind. "You were here, weren't you?"

Bucky glanced briefly back at her as he nodded his head. "Yes. That's where I got this?" he lifted his left arm, showing her the cybernetic limb.

Her hand ran over his shoulder, down his metal biceps, stopping at his hand. Her flesh fingers laced into his metal ones as she lifted his hand to her lips. "You're perfect. Don't ever doubt that."

He gave her a sideways smirk as he pulled his hand away. "Yeah... sure. Can you go through that top box? It looks like Belov was in command of this region and kept in depth documents. He wanted an army of 'specials'. That's what they call people with abilities. Like these twins in Russia."

Kara picked up the file Bucky was talking about. A boy and a girl, that had special abilities like herself. Hydra was collecting specials, experimenting on them, trying to increase their abilities. It made her shiver to think of what Belov would have done to her if he really knew what she could do. Her mother died to protect her secret and her father now held prisoner. Jenny could pay the ultimate price for this secret as well and she had to stop it, stop them.

They spent the next few hours going through the boxes, moving their investigation out into the bedroom and onto the bed. Bucky looked up to see her sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only a red flannel shirt and her panties. She was alluring as she lounged there with her long, creamy white legs pulled up to her chest. The thirst for her burnt the back of his throat so badly. He'd been a Hydra puppet for so long that he'd forgotten what it was like to be a man.

Kara caught him staring at her, his eyes devouring her figure. "You just going to look at me or come over here and take me, Sergeant Barnes?"

That was all he needed to straddle her, pushing her down on the bed and letting his hands hold hers down on the bed. His lips moved from her neck, down to the flash of cleavage that was showing. The flannel shirt was barely buttoned up and sliding up her body as wiggled and squirmed. She'd been driving him mad with want since she put it on and now he was going to take it off.

"Buck," Kara moaned out as his hard manhood rubbed up against her hot, soaked mound. Her panties were beyond ruined and about to be shredded in a matter of seconds.

"Don't talk. Just look at me. I love to watch your face... when I make you come," those words rocked her core just hard as if he'd shoved every inch of his thick long cock inside her. A gush of wind left her lips as his mouth covered the breast that was exposed. His hot tongue swirled around her hard peak, causing her back to arch. He worked her into a frenzy with his supple lips, making her core clench tight over and over. When he removed his lips and blew on the sensitive stop, she moaned out his name. He gave her a smile in response then gripped each button on her shirt with his teeth and pulled them off, spitting them across the room. When her shirt fell open, he smiled again. "Too damn beautiful," he whispered to her as he kissed her down her stomach to the top of her panties. Kara was on fire, needing him to damper the flame. She rolled her hips, bucking her quivering core up towards him. He kept a tight grip on her wrists as he kissed her from hip to hip.

Kara worked her legs free from underneath him, wrapping them around his waist, grinding herself into him hard. Bucky let out a chuckle as he released her hands. He pulled her legs from around him as he sat up on his haunches. She sat up, letting her hands roam over his chest, letting her fingers dip in each crest and ripple of his muscles. Her lips quickly followed, worshiping his body with each movement she made. Bucky closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands, her lips, and her tongue. He remembered other women, other faces that satisfied him for a night, but this was different. Kara was different. James Barnes was a charmer, a playboy and Kara was right, he could smile his way right into a girl's bed. But this wasn't anything like that. He felt something for her, deep in his soul or what was left of the one he had. The want, the need he felt for her burnt inside him until his balls ached, but the need that squeezed at his heart haunted him. He knew if the monster inside him ever hurt her, ever touched her, it would kill him.

The sound of metal zipping down snapped him back to the moment at hand. Kara gave him a mischievous smile and he was past playing with her. He gripped the back of her thighs, pulling her back down on the bed and using his metal hand to rip the cotton underwear from her body. She let out a yelp as the metal dragged across her body. The coolness of the room made her flesh prickle, but Bucky's body heat soon warmed her again.

He had slipped out of his cargo pants in one fluid motion and was seated between her alabaster thighs. His leaking, throbbing cock pushed to her entrance as his lips crashed down on hers. He felt her hips wiggle, trying to slip his impressive cock inside her velvet. His hips pushed forward, slowly entering her. This time was slower, with no rush at all. He felt the tip of his cock slide inside her warmth, instantly being surrounded by her quivering walls.

"Fuck... Kara," he gritted his teeth, feeling her nails dig into his ass. She was clawing at him, needing all of him in her. As he seated himself to the root, she let out a moan, her legs rubbing the inside of his.

They moved as one, his thrusts met with her grinding hips. His lips tasted her salty skin as the sweat trickled down her neck. She was becoming breathless as he rocked her hard into the mattress. Orgasm after orgasm rolled through her, raging on like a thunderstorm across a summer sky. Just when she didn't think she could take one more euphoric, mind blowing explosion, he began to pump harder into her, bracing his weight on his hands. She drank in the flexing muscles that surrounded her, the clinking metal that moved back and forth, the sounds of his grunts as his cock stroked her velvet until she screamed his name.

After the last orgasm subsided, she looked up to see his face. The glassy look in his eyes, the quiver of his lips made her wondered where he was. She moved her hand to touch her face and he smacked it away. Kara pulled her hand to her chest and Bucky bounded from the bed, racing off to the bathroom. She followed him, her legs feeling like rubber bands.

He sat on the tile floor, his body quivering his mind locked into this dark memory he couldn't shake. "Bucky... open the door. Please."

"Go away," he yelled out, making her jump. He couldn't let her see the monster. It was clawing at him, ripping his mind apart as he fought to close that door.

"I'm not leaving," she sat down by the door, holding her hand to the rough wood.

Bucky began to beat the back of his head on the door, trying to put the darkness back in the box she had opened. He remembered a chair with machines all around him. The sound of electricity sparking beside him and voices speaking different languages. Then the pain. The mind blurring pain. He was naked, his body jerking from the volts of electricity they were pumping into him. He looked down long enough to see probes in places that no person should have them.

"Go away," he screamed again, but not at Kara. At the dragon that was scorching him alive. Being out of the freezer this long, being awake to remember his nightmares was more than he could bear.

Kara stood up, leaning her forehead on the door. "I won't ever leave you James Buchanan Barnes. I can't. I love you."

Bucky opened his eyes, unclenched his fists and rose to his feet. "Love you too, Bennett." He meant it, he did love her. She was his salvation and he knew it. It was being with her that freed his demons, but it was her love that made the nightmares fade away.

A shudder fluttered through Kara's body, making her take in a ragged breath. She began to tear up, her bottom lip trembling. "Let me in, Buck."

The door slowly opened as his shaking right hand reached for her. She took it, letting her free hand rest on his face. His blue eyes were clouded with tears, his features matching the look on her father's in the picture. She began to slowly kiss him, stroking his scruffy cheek with the back of her hand.

He captured her hand, holding it close to his face. "Say it again. I need to hear it, again."

"I love you. Look at me James," Kara let go of his hand and placed her hand on his chest. Bucky looked back at her, his eyes rimmed with unshed tears. "I love you. You need to hold on to that when the winter comes to claim you. Let me be your summer sun. Let me love you, Bucky."

He placed his forehead on hers, placing his metal hand over hers. "I'll try, Kar. For you I'll always try."

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 **Thanks for the support. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**


	15. Chapter 15

Kara had fallen asleep with a stack of files at her feet and the picture of her father in her hand. Bucky pulled the blanket up over her, giving her temple a kiss and made his way back down to the radio. The files held enough information for him to be able to ask the Hydra operative that had been contacting him about Ben Bennett without raising suspicion. He took several files with him and jotted down a quick need to know list of questions. Misha had redacted certain parts of the files, leaving some sort of code on the edges of the page. Bucky didn't have time to break the code right now, so he would have to settle with tricking the information out of Hydra. The voice from before came on the radio as soon as he sat down. He could hear the hard edge to his voice and knew he had to react quickly.

"Belov. Do you have the girl? Response," the voice commanded, and Bucky tapped out a quick message.

 _Lost all trace of her. Fear she died in the house fire._

The radio crackled with static for a few seconds before the voice boomed back. "The asset is still lost to us. We need her to find him. The girl can't be dead. Look again."

Bucky wasn't sure why the operative was so sure Kara was still alive. He wasn't going to use her as bait, no matter what. As he sat there pondering his choices, a brilliant idea came to him. He cleared his throat and tried to mimic Misha's voice, using his best Russian accent.

In Russian, he told the operative to take Jenny to her father to see if she would talk. If Jenny is keeping anything from them, she might loosen her lips around her father. The operative chuckled before he spoke again.

"Very good, Commander. Collins will be pleased. Rumlow wants the asset and the girl… alive," the conversation ended with Bucky no closer to finding Kara's sister or father. Maybe if Jenny can see her father, she will be able to get them both free from the facility.

The two men the operative mentioned were both high ranking officers within Hydra and one presumed dead. If Rumlow was still alive and working to find him and Kara, he knew they were running out of time. He immediately dove into the files again, looking for any files with Belov's code written on them. To his surprise there were only six files with these particular sets of codes on them.

The first file was about a facility in Washington, D.C., a mental health hospital. Bucky rubbed his index finger and thumb over his scruffy chin, thinking how ingenious to use the hospital for their cruel experiments. The next four folders were of the Bennett family. Martha, Ben, Kara and Jenny. The last file was like a flashing neon sign in the middle of the dark. The folder was about an experiment that used a machine much like the one that erased his mind, to retract memories from people, leaving the patient in a nearly vegetated state. The Recall Project had been used for the past twenty years, the doctors and scientist at Hydra's disposal finally perfecting it. It was obvious to Bucky that they were using this machine on Ben and now on Jenny.

Bucky was waiting on the next radio transmission as he tried to crack the code. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't hear Kara walk up behind him. Kara leaned against the doorframe, watching intently as Bucky search the files. She watched as he wrote down a line of numbers and letters on a notepad, his hand moving swiftly across the page. There was something in the way he was lost in his work that she found alluring. He was beautiful, there was no denying that, but when he was concentrating on a task, he got this serene look on his face she didn't get to see often. A brief vision here or there of him looking like this were enough to make her want to see more of him like this. She crept up behind him, trying not to disturb him. On the page was a code she could actually read. "It's binary."

Bucky jerked around quickly, grabbing the knife from his belt. He saw the shocked look on Kara's face and quickly dropped it. She took two steps back from him, her heart pounding in her ears. Bucky reached for her, taking her hand gently and pulling her to him. She sat down in his lap as his right arm snaked around her small waist.

"You know this code? I've never seen it. The Morse Code was easy enough to break and the code written in Russian was child's play, but this confuses me," he let his lips rest right under her ear, pushing against her pulse point. Kara dug her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to concentrate on the code.

Bucky's hand flatten out against her stomach as he softly kissed the back of her neck, her hair hanging over one shoulder. She glanced over at him briefly, loving how affectionate he could be. He wanted to drown in her, get lost in her. Never had his demons been this calm before. The memories of what he'd done, what he'd become scratched at the surface, trying to claw their way out. Kara made all the madness in his mind go away, gave him solace for once in a very long time.

The code was clever, but one she knew well. Jenny had taught her to read binary when she was college. Kara loved their visit and Jenny loved showing her big sister what she could do. Jenny was good at what she did, but then again, she was always more like their father. Ben Bennett was a damn good mathematician and being an engineer gave him the resources to use his skills. The man could do complex math in his head with ease. Their mother, Martha, wasn't as gifted. Her gift was seeing the future and having a memory like a steel trap. She literally never forgot anything. In this aspect, Kara was very much her mother's daughter. Kara picked up the pen Bucky had been using and began to solve the riddle. Bucky rested his chin on her shoulder as he read the words she put to paper.

 **Mutant gene detected in mother.**

 **Special abilities passed to child/children.**

 **Eldest may be good candidate.**

 **Parents must be studied.**

 **Take to sanatorium for study. M.M.**

She looked back at Bucky and saw the spark of something in his eyes. "Memorial Medical. I've been there. I've taken people there for them. I remember this. I remember, Kara."

Kara turned to look at him, seeing self-loathing in his deep blue eyes. "Hey, don't do that. The past is the past. What you do now is what matters. You right what you can, and bury the past."

He lifted them both up from the floor, giving her a deep kiss. She smiled back at him as he broke the kiss, wishing she could take the hurt from his eyes. "Get packed. We're going to get your sister and father."

As she turned to go, Bucky's hand held to hers a little longer. She let his fingers linger on hers until they slipped away. He made his way upstairs, leaving her to pack up the downstairs. Kara tossed on her sweatshirt and packed a few more of Belov's clothes for them to wear.

She took what food remained in the pantry and began to pack their vehicle. After placing a dufflebag full of weapons in the back of the truck, he went on a search for camping supplies. They were going to be on the run and staying in the woods and a hotel was out of the question. It was best for the both of them if they stayed off the grid. He sent one more, quick message to the Hydra operative he'd been talking to, telling them that Belov was going out looking for Kara. This would give them a few days to cover their tracks before Hydra came looking for him.

While Bucky cleaned the house of their fingerprints and any trace they'd been there, she started the truck and turned on the radio. A song that reminded her of her mother began to play, making her smile. Her smile quickly faded as a violent vision ripped through her mind. She could feel the life being strangled out of her, a very strong hand crushing her windpipe. As her hands tried to push her attacker away, she saw Bucky's eyes, all glassy and wild. Then she felt her world go dark and her name being shouted as Bucky screamed at her to breathe.

"Kara. Kara, you alright?" Bucky said softly as he stroked the back of her head. She opened her eyes as tears rolled down her face.

"I'm going to die. I've seen it Bucky and you can't stop it," her tears fell harder as Bucky pulled her to him, letting her sob into his metal shoulder.

"No. You're not. I won't let that happen. I'd die first," he kissed the top of her head, feeling the fear of losing her settle into his heart. This couldn't, this wouldn't happen as long he was still breathing.

The vision was so real. She felt her life slip away and she knew her days were numbered. If her father and Jenny were safe, if Bucky was safe and well, then her death would mean something. Kara pulled herself from Bucky's arms and turned up the radio as she calmed her quaked nerves.

She sang along as Bucky pulled out on the gravel road, his heart still quivering beneath his chest. He'd never been so afraid in his life. He'd jumped off buildings, off bridges and been stabbed, shot and set on fire and none of that made him flinch. But losing her, losing the one person in this world that gave him hope, that scared him more than he wanted to admit.

It was going to be a long drive out to the hospital. The facility was heavily guarded, with high fences and walls. The thickly wooded area that surrounded the hospital was full of venomous snakes and wild boars. The public was told the criminally insane were kept here, but the truth was far more insidious. Since the fall of the SHIELD facility, Hydra went into hiding and some of Hydra's hideouts were still unknown. Having knowledge of their facilities would get Bucky and Kara into the building, but would it get them back out? He was going to go in locked and loaded and if blood was spilled, so be it. Kara seemed distant from him since her vision. He couldn't help but wonder if he was part of that vision, if he was her tormentor. She looked up at him as he glanced at her for the hundred time and scooted closer. Her arm laced through his as she nuzzled into his body, whispering she trusted him. He gave her a quick smile as the worry faded from his face. Kara knew him well enough to know he would instantly think the worst, if she didn't clear things up for him.

"My vision," she said as she looked up at him. Bucky let his eyes fall on her for a moment before he made the turn off the pavement and onto a dirt road. Kara licked her lips and then continued, "you were in it, but you were trying to save me."

"I won't have to try and save you. I won't ever let anything happen to you, Kar. Ever," Bucky laced his fingers between hers as the late day sun blared through the truck. She gave him a small smile, loving how sure he was of himself. The Bucky from before, before he found Steve again, wasn't a man that cared about such things as feelings or emotions, but this Bucky finally knew who he was and that life mattered, that he mattered.

"We need to make camp and eat. I'm starving. Those pancakes were burnt off not long after breakfast, Sergeant Barnes. You can't expect a girl to 'workout' like that and not refuel," the playful smirk on her lips caused his cock to twitch. Those pink buds were begging for him to kiss them and he wanted them on his body so badly.

He found a small clearing not far from the road and pulled over. The trees around gave them enough shelter to camp and provide coverage from anyone that were to walk up on them. They unpacked what they needed for the night and made a small fire. Bucky walked up a hill not far away, to see how far away the hospital was. Kara cooked up some dinner after she put up the tent and rolled out their sleeping bags. She knew her father and her sister could be just feet from her and she wanted so badly to run into the doors screaming their names. Maybe she died saving them, maybe that was why she got the vision. Bucky came walking back to the camp, his long legs the first thing she saw. He had a distinctive walk and those thighs were unmistakably his.

"What did you see?" she asked as she scooped out some beans and bacon into a plate. Bucky took the plate, sitting down on the ground beside her. He took a large bite before he pushed the food around the plate absent-mindedly. She made herself a plate, scooting closer to him as she waited for his answer. He took a few more mouths full before he answered her, his eyes constantly scanning the woods.

"Got more guards than I remember, but this is the place. Saw the Hydra symbol on one of the guard's uniform. They're keeping something in there they don't want getting out. I'm going in at first light," he leaned up to get more beans when she placed her hand on his back, clearing her throat.

"Okay. Which way are we going in?" she had a feeling she wasn't going with him when Bucky turned his head and narrowed his blue eyes.

"We… aren't going. I'm not taking any chances with you," he sat back down beside her, hoping she'd drop the matter. He wasn't so lucky. Kara jumped to her feet, stomping off to the tent and coming back out with a gun. He gave her a smirk, thinking she couldn't be serious. She tucked the gun in the back of her pants before she started walking off. "Kara… get back here."

"I can handle myself, Barnes. I don't need you to babysit me. I can fight, I can shoot a gun. I'm not… helpless," she screamed back at him and he bounced to his feet, running towards and cupping his hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet. You're going to bring every guard at the hospital down on us," he moved his hand but Kara continued to glare at him.

"Am I going?" she crossed her arms over her chest and Bucky creased his eyes, pinching his lips together. He slowly nodded his head, but in the back of his mind, he had no plans of letting her go. He would let her think so for now, but as soon as she was out for the night, he was going to tie her up and head out without her. It was for her own good. He dare not risk her getting taken by Hydra. She was being hunted by them and taking her with him was like the deer walking up to the hunter.

"Okay. But you do everything I say," he said in a low, rough tone and she smiled back at him. He wanted to give her a smile back, but he was pissed that she was being so stubborn.

After they ate, he put out the fire and they went over the plan for tomorrow. Bucky drew out the floor plan of the hospital from what he could remember. Kara tried to pull more memories out for him, but she only got hazy images of the place. "The basement is our best way in. The door is hidden on the left corner, so you stay on my six at all times. Once we're in, you'll see things, hear things. You have to block it all out Kara and remember why we're there. To save Jenny and your father. We can't save everyone."

She nodded her head as she yawned, stretching her arms out and laying down on her sleeping bag. As soon as she laid down she was out. The day had been exhausting and she'd been on one hell of an emotional roller coaster. Her dreams came to her in flashes. She wasn't sure if she were dreaming or having an unfiltered vision.

The dank white walls were cracked from time and old paint. An odor so foul it made her want to vomit filled her nose and penetrated her eyes. She began to gag as tears filled her eyes. She reached her hand out to the wall, following the faint yellow line that led to a room with chains on the walls. Blood covered the floor and the exam table that rested in the middle. The sounds of sobbing could be heard in the distance as she looked around for Bucky. She called his name only to hear explosions in the background. Her hands reached for her gun only to have it knocked out. There, looking at her was her father. He looked so fragile as if he may fall over dead at any moment. Bucky came racing in with Jenny's limp body in his arms, screaming for her to get her father and run. The vision began to blur as the bright light from the basement doors being open hit her. Her father kept repeating one thing over and over as they made their way to freedom. "I won't make it. I won't make it."

Kara blinked her eyes open to the dim light of dawn starting to greet the day. She tried to sit up, but found her hands and feet had been bound. "Fuck. Barnes!"

He was gone and she knew he was going after her family alone. Shit was about to get real and she feared Hydra would capture him again, torture him and wipe his memory again. Wipe her from his memory. She started looking for anything she could use to break free from her bindings when she heard someone outside the tent.

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Thank you so much for all the support. All the follows and favorites are more than I could have ever hoped for. I hope you continue to enjoy this little story.


	16. Chapter 16

Sounds from the hospital above resounded through the basement hallway. Bucky had subdued the two guards at the door and disable the security alarm. He had to move quickly before another guard found him or checked in on the guards that were missing. The basement looked familiar with its faded white walls and peeled paint. The floors were stained with blood, some stains so large a person must have bled out. He made his way down the first then the second corridor, peeking inside each room to check for Jenny or Ben. Memories flashed before his eyes as he came to a room with chains on the walls, a hospital bed in the middle looking sanitary and white. More blood stained the once white tile floor as the overhead light glared down exposing fresh blood in the grooves. Bucky could hear chains being rattled from a room just on the other side, a big padlocked door across from him. He crossed the room quickly, taking the padlock and squeezing it in his metal hand. The lock crumbled like a tin can, popping open. The chains on the door slipped loudly to the floor and a woman began to cry.

"Please. No more… please. I don't know anything," the voice sounded weak, as if she was on the verge of collapse. Bucky rush inside to see Jenny Bennett chained to a wall, her wrists and ankles shackled. Just like with the padlock, he used his metal hand to jerk the chains from the wall. Jenny looked up at him through teary hazel eyes, her hands trembling.

"I'm not one of them. Not anymore. I'm going to take you to Kara," Jenny began to cry harder, her shoulders shaking. She slowly made her way up on her feet, doing her best to stay upright. Bucky could see she was in no condition to run, so he'd have to carry her. He picked her up in his arms, carrying her to the front door and placing her on the floor. She looked up at him pleadingly, as if to say don't leave me. "Take my gun. You know how to use it. Use it."

Jenny nodded her head as she regained her senses. She pulled back the slide and held the gun in the proper position. He went back to the room, only to find two guards there. They raised their guns, firing and he deflected their bullets with his cybernetic arm. The taller of the two guards grabbed for the walkie on his belt and Bucky sent his knife straight into his chest. The other ran at him, firing his gun and Bucky ran back for the door, taking one of the explosive metal balls from his belt, letting it roll towards him. The man and the metal ball both ended up in the makeshift prison Jenny had been held in. The explosion was loud as it shook the room. He knew he had to find Ben and fast.

~o~

Kara didn't have to time be hurt that Bucky left her here, all tied up. The noise outside was getting closer and she was just a prize waiting for Hydra to claim. She looked around the tent, seeing a knife resting on top of her duffle. Scooting over to it as quickly as she could, she took the knife and began to cut the bindings on her feet. The noise turned into voices and Kara began to hyperventilate.

"You got this, Bennett. Stop freaking out," she said softly to herself as the male voices stopped just outside her tent.

"Anyone in there," the voice had a country accent, the long strain on the vowels giving that away. Kara freed her feet and tucked the blade between her sneakers to hold the blade while she cut the rope around her wrists. The zipper to the tent began to move before the flap was lifted. The last sections of rope snapped lose as the intruders came into view. The man was dressed in a bright orange vest, hunting cap and camo cargo pants. A young boy, about twelve, stood outside with a rifle on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" the man asked as he squatted down, his eyes darting around the tent. The young boy walked closer until the man that must be his father and he waved for him to walk away.

"I'm fine. Thank you. Have you seen a man, about your height, long dark hair, built like a brick wall?" she grabbed her jacket, tucking the knife in the pocket and looked for the duffle bag of weapons. The man stood up as she exited the tent and walked passed him. She was going to check the truck for a weapon, hoping Bucky had left her one. The man walked over to the young boy, the two of them walking behind her.

"Ma'am. The only thing that way is the metal hospital and you don't want to go there. Those people are bad sick. Let me walk you back to your vehicle," she looked to see the boy staring at her, his eyes wide and smiling.

"I've got to find my friend," Kara was about to race off into the woods when the man stopped her, placing his hand on her forearm.

"Take it," he handed her his hunting knife, sheath and all. She took it, thanking him and sliding it into the back of her jeans. The boy gave her a smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Tommy, this is my son… Drew. We live just over that hill there, if you need anything. I hope you find your friend. Just be careful," they walked away, making Kara wonder if this was all a rouse. Since finding out Hydra want her dead, she was cautious who she trusted.

As their orange vests faded in the distance, she shook her head, bringing the most important things to the forefront of her mind. Bucky was at the hospital now, looking for her father and sister while possibly being surround by hundreds of Hydra soldiers. The two knives she had would have to do; she had to get to Bucky before her vision became truth. She raced through the woods, darted over logs, jumping over large rocks until she came to the edge. An alcove with steps that lead down to the basement entrance was unguarded. "It's now or never," she said as she took a cleansing breath.

The door was nearly pulled off its hinges and tiny drops of blood lead away from the doorway, down the corridor. The dank white walls were cracked from time and old paint. An odor so foul it made her want to vomit, filled her nose making her gag and causing her eyes to water. She reached her hand out to the wall, following the faint yellow line that led to a room with chains on the walls. Blood covered the floor as it settled around an exam table. The sounds of sobbing could be heard in the distance as she looked around for Bucky. Kara called his name only to hear explosions in the back ground. Her hands reached for her knife only to have it knocked away. There, looking at her was her father. He looked so fragile as if he may fall over dead at any moment. Bucky came racing in with Jenny's limp body in his arms, screaming for her to get her father and run. She placed her father's arm around her shoulder as he repeated one thing over and over.

"I won't make it. I won't make it."

"Dad, I've got you," she squeezed her arm around his waist and nearly dragged him towards the door. More explosions went off behind them as smoke began to fill the basement. Kara could hear Bucky yelling at her as she tried to move faster. Her father was barely able to keep up, his feet moving as quickly as possible. Her vision was happening, a vision that yet again was all because of Bucky.

They ran until they were back at the camp site. Her body was running on auto pilot as she held tight to her father, her eyes glued to Bucky as he carried Jenny. The last explosion she heard shook the ground, causing her to stumble forward almost dropping her father in the process.

Bucky laid Jenny down in the tent, checking her pulse once more to make sure she was still alive. Her pulse was strong but the wound on her shoulder was still bleeding. Kara came in, her green eyes dripping with worry. Bucky nodded his head, letting her know her sister was alive.

"What happened? Why did you leave me?" Kara kneeled down beside Jenny, ripping parts of an old flannel shirt to bandage her arm. Bucky didn't speak to her as he began grabbing their things. Jenny stirred awake for a moment, her hand reaching out to Kara. She took her sisters hand, hoping they made it out of all of this alive.

Ben was sitting by the camp fire, staring at the ashes. Bucky walked by him, stopping to look at the image that could have been him without Hydra's modifications. Ben looked up at him, his eyes narrowing. "Save my girls. I'm old and will die soon. What they've done to me, what I've done for them … you need to leave me here."

Bucky ignored him, taking the bags and placing them in the truck. He came back to find Kara walking out of the tent with a very awake Jenny. "Leave the tent. I've taken what we need. Let's go." He scooped Jenny up in his arms again and Kara collected her father, practically pulling him towards the truck.

They were on the run again. Kara wasn't sure where they could go or where was safe anymore. She was waiting for her other vision, the one of her death, to come true. Maybe it would tomorrow, next week or next month but she knew it was coming. The truck was crowded with Kara sitting beside Bucky, Jenny beside her and their father in the back. The only sound for miles was the rumbling of the old trucks engine and the groans from Jenny when the truck would hit a bump too hard. Her wound wasn't deep, but a tad deeper than a flesh wound and Bucky hoped it would heal quickly. Kara looked up to Bucky, studying his features as the sun darted over the hills. His mouth was relaxed; his chiseled cheekbones making his profile look even more impressive. There was no hardness around his eyes or in the lines of his lips. He looked relaxed and that scared her a little. He had obviously gone to war in that basement and now he looked like he had just had a fucking picnic in a park.

"What happened and please answer me?" Kara placed her hand on his thigh, her fingers squeezing. He turned his head for a second, the flash of his blue eyes cutting into hers for a moment before he looked back at the road.

"I did what had to be done," Kara kept her eyes glued to him. The corner of his very full lips turned up into a smile and she couldn't help but to smile back.

"Thank you," she said as she leaned up kiss his cheek. Bucky went to battle for her or more accurately to save her. The vision of her death rattled her and the look in her eyes when she told it to him, caused this gut wrenching pain to course through his body. She was his air now and being with her was like a drowning man being given a life preserver.

Jenny placed her head on her sister's shoulder, the wound to her shoulder still bleeding. Kara didn't like how pale Jenny was looking as she stroked the hair from her face. Her forehead was warm, but not feverish. Bucky glanced over at them when Ben tapped on the back window. He pulled the truck over on an old dirt road with a barbwire fence running along each side. Cows chewing on hay as they drove by, the rolling meadow stretching out until it come to a house Kara wasn't expecting. Instead of a farmhouse or even a small country dwelling there was a towering two story ranch house. The white house was beautiful with green shudders, large pane windows and the cutest little porch that reminded Kara of her grandparents' home.

Kara was about to ask where they were when Jenny lifted her head and smiled over at Bucky. "How do you know this place?"

Bucky smirked as he motioned to the back of the truck. "I didn't. It was Ben. He told me to come here."

"Where are we?" Kara asked as he looked over at her sister, then back to her father. Jenny took her hand, giving her that sisterly look.

"We have a lot to talk about, big sis and you need to tell me how you ended up with him?" The look in Jenny's eyes was one of confusion and betrayal. They did have a lot to talk about, like how the hell their father was still alive.

When they pulled up to the house, a familiar face greeted them. Kara hadn't seen her cousin Laura since they were teenagers. Her father's sister, Leigha, had taken Jenny in when they were orphaned. Laura went off to college, met a nice boy in the military, got married and proceeded to have two children. There she stood looking no older than she did when she was nineteen with two of the cutest kids standing behind her.

Ben slowly climbed out the bed of the truck and Laura ran up to him, hugging him with tears in her eyes. Bucky watched Jenny and Kara go to her as well, the family moment making him feel out of place. Laura saw how ragged they all looked and the wound on Jenny's shoulder and ushered them all in. Bucky stayed on the porch, even though Kara insists he come inside. As Laura took care of her cousin's wound, Bucky walked out to a pile of wood beside the porch. He picked up the ax, twirling it around and cleaved a large log in two. A pile of chopped wood rested all around him when he heard Kara softly calling his name.

"Bucky… come in," her fingers traced down his arm before taking the ax from him. He turned to look at her, that soft smile that he loved and he forgot why he was mindlessly chopping wood in the first place. She placed her hands on his face, making him look directly at her. "We're safe here, but I need you. My dad is in a bad way and I need you to help me get him back."

He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and kissed her hard. He wanted to pour all of himself into her, into that kiss but the real world was waiting for them and there was no escaping the truth that was waiting just behind those doors.


	17. Chapter 17

Bucky looked around the house, feeling completely out of place. It looked too homey for him with toys on the floor and family pictures all over the place. There was just something about being here that made him feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was the memories of his old life that kept bubbling up to the surface. He stopped in the living room as one memory took hold of him, taking over his senses.

" _James, thank you." Sarah Rogers held the cold compress to her son's bloody nose as Bucky leaned up against the door frame._

" _You don't have to thank me. It's what I do, I got Steve's back," Bucky turned to leave when Sarah reached out taking his hand and pulling him into a hug._

" _Thank you and you're staying for dinner," Sarah gave him a kiss on the cheek before she turned back to tend to her son's wounds. Bucky gave her a sideways smile as he nodded his head. Sarah Rogers was a good woman, with a good heart and never treated him any less than her own son. To her, Bucky was just that and he felt that daily._

"Buck… you okay?" Kara placed her hand on his face, stroking it softly as her green eyes studied his face. He lowered his eyes to her smiling face and felt a warmth deep in his heart he hadn't felt in forever.

"I'm good. So, what's going?" he lifted his chin towards the brunette woman hugging Jenny and Ben.

"That's my cousin Laura. Her husband is away on a mission, he's in the military. This place is off the grid. Laura and Clint like it that way, so I'm sure we're safe here," she took Bucky's hand and his eyes creased.

"For now. Kara, we're never going to be safe. If it isn't Hydra… its SHIELD," his words were stopped by her lips on his, her body pressed close to him.

Her hand stroked through his long, dark hair as she held back her tears. "I know, Buck. I know you don't want to drag Steve in this mess, but he…" Bucky kissed her back, stopping her from finishing that sentence.

Letting Steve help them was not an option. Bucky had to keep him separate from this as long as he could. The more memories he regained, the more he understood how important Steve was and still is to him. Steve was more than a friend to him, he was a brother and there wasn't anything they wouldn't do for each other. Mrs. Rogers opened up her home to him, took him in and loved him like a son. So the least he could do was honor Sarah's last request, keep Steve safe.

Laura walked into the room with her two children, a boy, and a girl. She looked at Kara as she studied Bucky and the metal appendage on his left side. "Kar, you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Kara smiled back at her as she took Bucky's hand. "Laura, this is Sergeant James Barnes. James… this is my cousin Laura. These little rugrats are Cooper and Lila."

Cooper ran over to Bucky, stopping and staring up at him. "How did you get that?" The little boy pointed to the metal arm and Laura grabbed him, pulling him back.

Bucky was about to speak when Kara squatted down, pulling Cooper to her. She took his hands in hers, speaking back to him in a very soft tone. "Some bad people hurt him and he lost his real arm, so now he has this new arm."

When Bucky squatted down next to him, letting Cooper feel the metal plates in his arms move, the small boy smiled. "Mom… this is cool."

"Cooper, take Lila and go play in your room," Laura scooted her children off before she asked Kara and Bucky to join her out on the porch.

From the look on Laura's face, Kara knew she was upset. Sure enough, Laura let it all out as soon as the screen door shut. "Please tell me you didn't bring trouble to my door. Uncle Ben was reported dead, you had a funeral for him then Jenny tells me a few months back that Ben is actually missing and may have faked his death. What is going on?"

"What? Jenny knew our father wasn't dead? When did she tell you this?" Kara was nearly screaming at Laura when Bucky placed his hands on her arms, pulling her back.

Laura watched how gently Bucky held her. Just tight enough to keep her calm, but loose enough not to hurt her. It was obvious to her there was something between them and not just friends. She sat down in the swing, patting the empty space beside her. Kara sat as Bucky perched himself on the banister. "I was visiting your mother and father's graves last year, on the anniversary of their accident and she was there. Jenny said she needed to tell me something, a secret she had to get out. The company she works for found out Uncle Ben might be alive. They had footage of him being transported from an underground facility. Agent Fury told her they had proof he was alive and why. She didn't tell me anymore, but that was enough for me," Laura took Kara's hand as if to say sorry for not telling her this sooner.

Kara had the look of disbelief on her face. Her sister had not only lied to her, but told her secret to someone that wasn't her sibling. Kara jumped to her feet with fire in her eyes. "Don't," Bucky said as he gripped the top of her arm. Her green eyes were narrowed, her lips pinched into thin hard lines as she wiggled her arm free.

He followed behind her as she stomped into the house, marching into the kitchen. Jenny sat down the glass of water she was sipping when she seen her sister, the two of them locking eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me? You told Laura, but not me. I'm your fucking sister, Jenny!" Kara was screaming as tears rolled down her face.

Jenny's eyes began to tear up as Kara walked closer to her, the hurt dripping from her eyes. "I wasn't sure. I couldn't do that to you. Tell you Dad might be alive if I didn't know for sure. Not after everything you've been through," Jenny reached out to touch Kara and Kara stepped back. The truth was out; there was no turning back now. Kara wanted to be really pissed at Jenny, but part of her couldn't. She understood the burden of a secret and how it could eat you alive from the inside. But this wasn't just any secret, it was their father.

Ben called out to Kara, making her stop and look at him. "Kara Leigha Bennett. The things I've endured all because your mother kept a secret from me. They used my skills after they understood I didn't have the information that we're looking for. Don't blame your sister for keeping a secret when all of you kept the biggest secret from me." He slumped back in the chair, too weak to say another word.

Jenny waited for Kara to speak, but she didn't. She gave them both a quick glance before she walked out the back door.

Bucky walked past Jenny, giving her a quick shoulder shrug before he followed after Kara. When he finally caught up to her, she was out by a woodpile. She was sitting on a tree stump, mindlessly sinking an ax in the ground. "Lies. Secrets. They're part of what we do. Jenny is more than your sister, she's a SHIELD agent and I understand that life. Before I was this, this hired murder, I was a soldier. You have to follow orders, take command and do it knowing the ones you love will never know the truth about what it is you really do. Be mad, be pissed as fuck, but don't sit there in judgment of her when you don't know the hell she's gone through to protect you," he walked over to her, kissing the top of her head before leaving here there to think.

He sat on the porch until the crimson sunset bled into a deep purple. Kara finally walked over to him, her hands deep in her pocket. He looked up to her, his mind tumbling over the situation they found themselves in. Things had gotten messy and he needed a little solace to sort things out.

Kara sat on the swing next to him, her fingers knitting together as she looked up into his blue eyes. "What are we going to do now? Dad isn't well, Jenny is injured and we're both being hunted by Hydra. We need a plan, Buck."

His metal hand lifted up to stroke the back of her head as his lips pressed to her forehead. "I need to find out more about myself and I need you to show me. Once I get all the puzzle pieces in place, I'll know what I need to do. You're dad and sister will be fine here. I think your cousin's husband did well picking this place. It's a good place to lay low."

The house was hidden well and unknown to anyone in the nearest town. Laura grew most of her own food and her children were home schooled. It was important to her and Clint that they keep their family close; they understood exactly how cruel the world could be.

Laura walked out on the porch, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "Dinner is done if you're hungry. Uncle Ben is resting, but I think you and Mr. Barnes should go talk to him. Jenny tried, but he got upset and shut down."

Bucky took Kara's hand as they walk into the house. The sound of the kids giggling in the dining room made Bucky smile. He missed that, the sound of laughter, of pure joy that filled your heart. He was glad he was starting to get some of that back, thanks to Kara. They walk up the stairs to find Ben when Jenny was walking of his room with tears in her eyes.

"Whatever they did to him, it changed him. One minute he's here, the next he's gone. I hope you can help him," Jenny looked at Bucky, then her sister before she darted down the stairs.

"Let me try," Bucky turned to her, his jaw set hard as he walked over to the bed.

Ben opened his eyes, his pupils dilated. "You know don't you? What they can do? They tried to pull the memories from my mind, but I didn't have any memories for them. Not like you. They wiped your memories away. But you still remember. You're stronger than me."

Bucky leaned closer to Ben, his eyes locked on his. "They didn't take your girls from you, your wife. You still remember. You have to hold on to every memory you have. Don't give up. If you do, they win. Mr. Bennett, what did Hydra have you working on?"

Kara walked further into the room as Ben sat up in the bed. He looked right at Bucky as his eyes went wide. "You're arm. I helped them perfect it. The mind wipe machine, I helped them with that too. I'm sorry."

Bucky looked back at Kara, his jaw muscles rippling. She thought for a slip second, Bucky was going to lose it but he took a cleansing breath as he began to question Ben again. "What else? You were saying 'I won't make it'. Did you mean you won't make it out alive or you won't make something for Hydra?" Bucky leaned back as Kara placed her hands on his shoulder. Ben looked up at both of them as he licked his lips.

"I won't make it. They can't make me," Ben sprang out of the bed, swinging his arms wildly. Kara stepped around Bucky, taking her father's hands. She told him over and over he didn't have to, but Ben was screaming it now.

Bucky helped Kara get Ben back in the bed when Ben gripped his forearm tight. "You need the serum. You need it. I know where it is. One more dose. They don't know I know… but I know. One more dose."

Ben slumped down in the bed, covering his head with his arms. Bucky looked over at Kara, his eyes wide. "One more dose? What do you mean?"

Kara pulled Bucky back, seeing the fury burning in his eyes. "Bucky! Let me talk to him. Go downstairs."

"That old man knows something about me and I want to know what it is… now!" Bucky yelled at her, his hands clenched into fists.

She ignored him as she sat on the bed beside her father, singing a song her mother used to sing to her when she was a little girl.

Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes

And save these questions for another day

I think I know what you've been asking me

I think you know what I've been trying to say

I promised I would never leave you

Then you should always know

Wherever you may go, no matter where you are

I never will be far away

Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep

And still so many things I want to say

Remember all the songs you sang for me

When we went sailing on an emerald bay

And like a boat out on the ocean

I'm rocking you to sleep

The water's dark and deep, inside this ancient heart

You'll always be a part of me

Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream

And dream how wonderful your life will be

Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby

Then in your heart, there will always be a part of me

Someday we'll all be gone

But lullabies go on and on

They never die

That's how you and I will be

Kara turned when she heard footsteps from behind her. Bucky was standing there, his eyes looking so solemn. Her father lifted his hand, stroking his cheek as tears fell from his eyes.

"They want you because they think you can see the future. They want a machine to put you in, to harness your gift," Ben removed his hand and Kara caught it. Bucky sat on the other side of the bed, wanting to be alone with the girl that stole his heart. She was amazing in so many ways, but her ability to love came so effortlessly, it made his heart ache.

"Daddy. What about the serum? Why does Bucky have to have one more dose?" Kara spoke softly, keeping her eyes on Bucky. Ben waved for her to come closer, whispering in her ear before he grew too weak to speak. Kara looked back at Bucky, the man before her searching her features for clues.

"What did he say?" Bucky stood up, running his flesh hand through his hair.

Kara took his metal hand, pulling him out into the hallway. "Your transformation won't be complete without the last dose. They would give you a small dose every time they put you back in the freezer. Dad said they were making you like Steve. An ultimate warrior. They needed to make sure they could control you before they completed the transformation. The last dose. Pierce had it."

"Kara. What will happen to me without it?" Bucky slumped against the wall, worried he'd become this uncontrollable monster.

Kara wasn't sure what to tell him, but Jenny did. She heard the commotion from the bedroom and came up to check it out. When she heard them talking, she remembered Pierce had something in the vault in the basement of SHIELD headquarters. "Sergeant Barnes, you'll go mad without it. Your mind will deteriorate and you'll lose what makes you James. The SSR worked on making the serum used on Steve. One of their scientists defected and gave Hydra the research. They used that information to make you. The experiments on you in the prison camp, I'm sure you remember them, was the start. You're not perfect, but very close to it. I guess they figured out something we didn't."

"Where do I find it, Jenny?" Bucky turned to her, a look of fear deep in his eyes.

Kara wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his back. "Wherever that is, I'm going with you."

He pulled her around to him, taking her face in his hands. "It's not safe."

"No, it's not, but I know what's in your future, Mr. Barnes and we'll figure this out together," Kara hugged him again, refusing to take no for an answer.

* * *

Thanks for all the support. Bucky and Kara's journey has just begun. I hope you continue to read and review and enjoy the journey.


	18. Chapter 18

Hydra had yet again managed to get their filthy mittens on any hope Bucky had at getting his life back. He was tired of this mouse and cat game and wanted it all to end. The only ray of sunshine in all of this chaos was finding Kara. He cringed to think what he'd be doing now if he hadn't freed himself from his captors and found this angel on earth. As Kara lay sleeping beside him, he took a good look at her. Her face was relaxed as her long auburn hair rested across her pale cheek. She looked so innocent that part of him ached for the innocence he had stolen from her. Ten year old Kara was just that, an innocent child that was thrust into a world of death and brutality all because she was unfortunate enough to have visions of him. He broke from his thoughts when he heard a voice say his name from the hallway. Kara stirred in her sleep as he kissed her lips softly and went to see what her sister wanted with him.

Jenny was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall when Bucky walked out. He pulled his long hair from his face, knotting it back in a bun with Kara's hairband. Jenny gave him a smirk as he plopped down on the floor beside her. "You look… not so murder-ish that way."

"Murder-ish?" Bucky cocked his head as he looked at the grinning ginger bedside him.

"You know what I mean. You have this permanent killer scowl on your face. I've seen pictures of you, from the 40's. What happened to that guy?" Jenny elbowed him, causing him to do just as she suggested. Scowl.

Bucky turned to look back into the bedroom he and Kara were sharing, thinking of the way he must have looked to her over the past twenty years.

"That guy. He only exists in here now," he pointed to his head, his index finger resting on his temple. Jenny shook her head at him, her blue eyes coming up to meet his.

"Kara would disagree. She has a sixth sense about things and I don't just mean her visions. She would write in her journal about the things she saw, things you did. Have you read any of it?" Jenny stared at him as he slowly shook his head. She'd glanced at it before, reading passages as Kara would write them. She pushed up off the floor and returned with the journal.

"We shouldn't," Bucky pushed the journal back towards her as she handed it to him. Jenny smiled softly as she turned the pages, then sat the book in his lap.

"Read it and tell me if that guy doesn't exist anymore," she patted his knee and took her leave. Bucky picked up the journal, seeing a page that was dog-eared. The penmanship was no less than he expected from Kara, in neat even strokes. There on the page were her words and one passage in particular caught his eye.

 _Tomorrow is my 21st birthday and it's not quite how I pictured having it. I love my grandparents, but they aren't my mom and dad. I'm moving to Washington, D.C. Got a job in a gym as a personal trainer. Looking forward to being on my own. My grandma worries about me having a vision around strangers but I don't. I welcome them now, have for a while. I miss his face when I don't see it. Miss seeing that tiny bit of hope in his eyes right before his world turns to ice. I know this world I find myself in from time to time isn't a pretty one, but I'd rather have it than the ordinary one I could have. Some of the doctors that work on him call him James or Sergeant Barnes and that's when his dull blue eyes look full of life. He isn't his own man. The darkness that follows him like a shadow at dusk isn't him. I've seen him stop, almost in thought, before he proceeds with a mission. There are glimpses of a good man still inside him and it's that man I long to see._

Bucky closed the book, laid on the floor beside him and hung his head. Jenny walked back out to him, her shoulder still bandaged and aching slightly. "What's wrong?"

"She's seen everything and I want to make it all right. I need to right all the wrongs I've done. Erase the red from my ledger," Bucky handed her the book and she took it as he rose to his feet and made his way back to Kara. He laid down next to her, curling his body up behind her, pulling her small frame into his bulking body. "I'll start with you."

As he lay there with Kara in his arms, the awful things he'd done over his long seventy years flooded his mind. They were just missions. They had no names, no past or future, they were just a mission that he had to complete. That's exactly what he did, complete his mission with a splat of blood, the crunch of bone or the gurgle of someone breathing their last breath. Kara rolled over in her sleep, nuzzling her face into Bucky's chest. His thoughts slowly faded from the darkness of his past to the light of his future. He wasn't sure what the future truly held for him, but he knew it would be with Kara.

"James?" Kara opened one green eye, then the other as she licked her parched lips. Bucky kissed the top of her head, letting his hands push into her back. She was as close as she could be to him without smothering, but somehow she wanted to be closer.

"Yes… Kara," he said with a curiosity to his voice.

"What are you thinking about? You have… that look," she managed to free one arm so she could let her fingertips graze his scruffy chin.

Bucky wasn't sure what he should tell her. The truth was he was thinking of all the things he did for Hydra, the blood that covered his hands and his hands alone. He gazed back at her, a small smile pulling the corner of his lips up. "Setting right all the wrongs I've done. Not sure how to do that or where to even begin. I have a target on my back, Kara, but I need to do this."

"You already are, James. You aren't that man anymore. You left the Winter Soldier behind, left him in the water that day when you decided to save Steve. Just keep saying this to yourself. 'I don't do that anymore' and sooner or later, you'll be believe it," she kissed his lips and closed her eyes, letting out a contented sigh. Bucky closed his eyes, resting his lips in her hair and repeating over and over in his mind the mantra she had given him. I don't do that anymore.

Just before dawn, Bucky was woken to the sound of Jenny whispering his name. He looked up at her, catching the smile plastered across her face. "Morning, James."

"Morning," he said back as he pulled himself free from Kara's grip.

"Laura said her husband, Clint will be here soon. Need to get you into something that covers all this," she motioned to his metal arm, her smile becoming a full out cackle.

As Jenny leaves, Kara wakes up when Bucky exits the bed. The loss of his body heat and the shift in the bed, making her whimper. "Come back to bed."

"No can do, sweetheart. Your cousin husband's is on his way and you might want to come up with a story for him," Bucky pulled on the button down shirt, feeling how tight the left arm of the shirt was. Ben walked in, still looking fragile. Kara climbed out of the bed, giving her father a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Clint's here," Ben announced making Kara hurry to toss on some clothes. The sound of Jenny cursing loudly gained their attention as Kara pulled Bucky's hair back into a small man-bun.

"Holy Fucking Shit!" Jenny exclaims and Laura shoos her.

Kara takes Bucky flesh hand, allowing him to push the metal hand in his pants pocket. Ben approached Clint first, as his two children climb all over him. "Hello."

Clint's eyes go wide as he sits his daughter down. "Ben? Benjamin Bennett? I'll be damned. Jenny said she believed you were still alive. Nat said if Hydra had you, you were as good as dead. She owes me ten bucks."

The two men embraced, Clint giving him a hug, but not too tight. Laura stood beside her husband in tears, looking at her cousins as they teared up too. "I've got breakfast ready if anyone's hungry."

They all gathered around when Jenny leaned over to Kara with a puzzled look on her face. Kara wrapped an arm around her sister's waist, trying to figure out what was tumbling over in her big, computerized mind. "Jenny, spill."

"Clint is Laura's husband and we know he's in the military, but when he walked in he had a bow and a quill with SHIELD tech in it. I would know those arrows anywhere. I designed them," Jenny gazed across the room at Clint, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Laura took her hand, pulling her and Kara into the kitchen as Ben, Clint and Bucky took a seat at the table with the kids.

"Please don't, Jenny. Clint keeps his private life and his professional life separated. Whatever you think you know… let it go," Laura gave Jenny a pleading look when Jenny had a light bulb go off in her head.

"I won't tell that Clint is a SHIELD operative that goes by Hawkeye, if you don't ask any more questions about Kara's friend. If you trust me, trust Kara, know that you can trust him," Laura looked back at the Bennett girls, hoping her decision to trust them doesn't come back to bite her in the ass.

"Okay. But as soon as you can, you take Mister tall, dark, and dangerous out of here. I'll take care of Uncle Ben until he's healthy again, but Kara… don't bring trouble to my doorstep again." The sisters nodded their heads at their cousin.

"What makes you think he's trouble?" she asked as she crossed her arms over his chest.

"Because you showed up with a man that was supposed to be dead and Jenny was bleeding. I may be a housewife, but I'm not stupid. My husband is an Avenger," Laura gave them a smirk as she walked away, leaving them both staring at Clint.

Kara walked into the kitchen, sitting beside Bucky as he devoured his breakfast. The awkward silence that filled the room made it hard for Kara or Jenny to swallow their food. Clint smiled at Bucky as he finished his third plate. Kara could tell Clint wasn't sure what to make of Bucky or the metal hand he was seeing. His keen eyes scanned over him, stopping just long enough to look over at Kara. Clint helped Laura clear the plates and do the dishes as the kids played in the living room. Jenny got their father back in the bed with Bucky's help as Kara tried to eavesdrop on the Barton's conversation.

"Somethings not right, I feel it Laura. I have to think of our family," Clint dried the plate in his hand several times before placing it in the cabinet.

Laura rinsed another dish, handing it to her husband. "I agree, but Jenny, Kara and Uncle Ben are family. Go talk to him. Figure him out for yourself. You aren't going to be happy until you do. And Clint… whatever you find out, remember not to judge a book by its cover."

Clint gave his wife a kiss on the cheek before he exited the kitchen. When he entered the dining room, he smirked and took Kara's hand. "You aren't spy material." The look on Kara's face made Clint laugh, causing Kara to smirk back at him. They both sat down at the dining table, Clint reaching his hand out and taking Kara's. "I have something to say and you're going to listen. I've known you for a while now and I know how you love to get the last word, but right now Kara, you need to listen."

"Okay," she said as she slid her hand out of his, wondering why Clint was being so brotherly with her.

Clint sat back, slumping somewhat in the chair as he grinned back at her. "I know a war vet when I see one, or at least someone that's seen battle. I also see something else. A man that is very much taken by you. I don't know what you've got yourself in, but be careful. Jenny is a government agent, she can handle this lifestyle. Make sure you can as well before you go any further down this path. You have a good heart, make sure that good heart doesn't get broken."

Kara looked back at him, somewhat dumfounded as she rose to her feet. "Thank you, Clint, Really, I mean it. But I think I know what I'm doing. You're right, by the way. He is very 'taken' with me and I'm head over heels for him. James is a good man, he just needs reminding sometimes." Kara made her way out to the living room where the kids recruited her for a game of hide and seek.

Clint made his way upstairs to find Bucky sitting in the hallway as Jenny settled her father down. "He alright?"

"Not really. Whatever they did to him really warped his mind. I get that… being lost," Bucky turned to look at Clint as he sat down beside him.

"War takes a lot out of you. Every battle you fight takes a piece of you. The key is to have something, someone that holds all the pieces together. I have that in Laura, in the kids. The real key is, not to hold on so hard you crush it," Clint looked into the room where Jenny was telling Ben a story about when she was little. Bucky listened for a while, a memory of his own filtering into his mind.

" _Steve, hurry up. You have enough newspapers in your shoes," Bucky liked teasing Steve and he often got it back in return. Scoring those baseball tickets was a treat for both of them and Bucky was going to make sure Steve had a few happy moments. His mother was sick and getting worse by the day. Sarah told him to get Steve out of the house, he spent way too much time fussing over her and he needed to be out with his friends. Steve slipped on his shoes, tossing a surly look at his best friend._

 _They made it to the baseball game and Bucky did his best to wipe that worried look from Steve's face. Around the seventh inning, Bucky saw this wayward look on Steve's face. "You want to go home? I'm worried about her too."_

 _Steve nodded his head as Bucky placed his arm around Steve's neck. "I don't know how much time I have left with her."_

" _Why don't we stop by the bakery and get those pastries she likes, the ones with the cream in the middle," the smile on Steve's face made Bucky smile back. They started walking out of the stadium when Steve stopped and placed his hand on Bucky's shoulder._

" _Thank you Buck," Steve looked down at the ground, then back up to one person that had always been there for him._

" _Listen punk… you ain't ever getting rid of me," Bucky smirked back at him as he pulled the arm around his neck tighter. Steve punched him playfully in the gut as he called him a jerk._

"Earth to James," Kara snapped her fingers in front of Bucky's face, bringing him back from his thoughts. Clint was gone and the bedroom door was closed. The ginger beauty before him, held out her hand and he took it. She helped pull him up from the floor and he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her with such passion it took her breath away. "What was that for?"

"For believing in me. For finding and holding my pieces together. I promise to never hold on to you too tight, but you have to promise to never let go," he kissed her again, gaining a giggle from Lila and Cooper Barton as they walk up the stairs.

Bucky grabbed Kara's hand, pulling her in the bathroom at the end of the hall. She smiled back at him, wondering if he meant to get frisky in here. She slides back on the vanity as he stood between her parted thighs. "We can't stay here. I need to find out who I am. You keep telling me that James Barnes still lives inside me, but I don't think he does Kara. I'm not James. I'm not… the Winter Solider. I'm something in between. I don't want to do this without you, but I don't want to put you in the line of danger. I'm not ready to face Steve. He's a good man and I can't make him choose between doing the right thing and doing right by me. I know what I have to do."

Her hand came up to his cheek, stroking along his strong jawline. "I know what I have to do too. Go with you. Where to Sergeant?"

He stared back into the endless green of her eyes, seeing a future of them on the run. Could he do this to her? Could he do this without her? So many questions plagued his mind, but one thing stood firm. Even if he left without her, she'd find him. They were linked, connected and that was why they belonged together.

With a playful smirk lifting up the corner of his mouth, he kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him. "Brooklyn."

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 **Thanks for all the support and the recent reviews.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter, but now that the holidays are over I should be updating more frequently. I hope this chapter was worth the day.**

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Bucky had this childlike exuberance about him as he walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. He pulled his ball cap down over his eyes as Kara squeezed tight to his metal hand. It probably was a dumb, dangerous idea to come here, but Bucky needed this before he started down that long road of making amends. Kara turned to look over her shoulder as she adjusted the hoodie on her head. She was nervous about being so close to Bucky's old haunts. The people after him could be looking here or may still be here and she felt it deep in her bones that something bad was about to happen.

"Stop it, Kara," Bucky let go of Kara's hand and wrapped his metal arm around her waist. They made haste down the bridge walkway and right to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Kara sat down on one of the many park benches, checking the gun Clint had given her that was strapped to her ankle.

Bucky sat down beside her, hoping no one thought it was odd for him to be wearing a zipped up jacket in the late fall heat. He leaned back, trying to blend in when Bucky spotted something odd in the distance. Kara looked up to see him stiff as a board and gazing at something.

"Buck?" Kara whispered softly and he turned back to her with unshed tears clinging in his eyes.

"I remember… playing on that carousel. There's so much of my life that Zola took from me but this, stands out as clear as day," Kara took his hand again as a vision struck her. Bucky is running, looking over his shoulder and actually afraid for his life. The image was gone as quickly as it came, leaving her numb.

"We need to go," she pulled him up and he stopped, turning her around. The look in his blue eyes shattered her heart, fracturing her soul.

"I came here to do something and by hell I'm doing it," he clenched his jaw, willing his emotions away. Kara had seen that look before and it scared her a little. She was right to be frightened of him and Clint told her as much. This was Bucky, her Bucky and she had to believe that no matter what, he'd never hurt her, but there were times she didn't see the man she loved. It was in those moments, she had to wonder if the Hydra soldier was still in there, waiting to emerge.

They walked for what seemed like blocks. Kara cursed her choice in footwear, wishing she'd taken Jenny's sneakers. Bucky was a machine as he moved with tunnel vision away from the concrete jungle, towards a rusty metal gate that surrounded a flat emerald green field. Headstones that were as old as the man before her, stood like monuments to the generations before her. They walked through the cemetery until they had come a headstone that read Rogers on the back. Bucky walked around to the front of the grave, placing his hand on the pristine marble. "Steve."

"What?" Kara asked as she joined Bucky by the graveside.

"The old headstones were so simple and not what either of them deserved. Steve gave them the marker that showed the world what his parents truly were… heroes," Bucky sat down, letting his metal fingers run over the etched letters that spelled out Sarah. "She was more than a nurse, she was an angel on earth. She asked me to look after her Stevie, but Sarah looked after me. The man I was… the James you say I still am in here… it's because of Sarah and Steve Rogers."

"Maybe you need to see Steve. You came all the way back to where you grew up," Kara watched as one tear rolled down Bucky's face and the hardness around his eyes softened.

He shook his head, letting one more tear fall. "I'm not here because of Steve. I'm here because I'm lost, Kara. I'm not James, not anymore. Part of that man lives in me still, but just barely. I've found hope again, because of you, but I need to find out who I am now. The man I was then, the man they turned me into, I can't be either of them again. Sarah saw me for what I was, a snot-nosed kid from Brooklyn with a chip on his shoulder and a silver tongue. She saw past all of my bullshit and called me on it all the time. I need her to tell me what to do… where to go," he held out his hands, one flesh and one metal and stared at them. "The blood on my hands. Kara, I have to wash some of it off."

Kara took his hands, kissing the palm of each and holding the metal hand against her cheek. "Close your eyes and ask Sarah, what's in your heart. When my life has taken a U-turn, I ask my mother what I should do and she always answers." Kara walked away from him, giving him a brief smile before she disappeared behind a large oak tree. As soon as she was hidden from him, she slumped to her knees and sobbed. She cried for the man she loves, for the man that she knew was better than he gave himself credit for. "Please… Sarah… answer him."

As soon as Kara kneeled down by the tree, Bucky turned his eyes to the headstone. The thought of seeking out his parents, his little sister had crossed his mind, but he wasn't ready to bear that pain just yet. "I know I need to find this serum Ben told me about, but before I do that, I need to know what to do. Do I go find Steve? Do I continue to be selfish and take Kara with me? Sarah… I wish I was still James, but I'm not. I live in the shadow of that man, in the nightmare of the man they made me. I want to be something different, someone new. How do I do that?"

He sat back on his haunches, letting his eyes scan the grave and the withered roses that lay across the marble at the base. A warm, rushing breeze pushed by him, rustling the leaves in the tree nearby. He looked up to see Kara standing up, her smile beaming back at him, her green eyes looking at him with nothing but love. The breeze was blowing her long auburn hair back, showing off her alabaster skin and those pale pink cheeks he loved so much. In the wind, he could have sworn he heard Sarah Rogers's small voice whispering, Kara.

Kara saw the lost look on his face and began to walk towards him when he rose to his feet and started to walk at a steady pace to her. He was with her in a few strides, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her so hard she lost her breath. "Bucky?"

"We need to go. I have one more place I need to go before we go find the serum," he kissed her once more, a little more tenderly before he took her hand. They walked away from the cemetery, both of them shedding all doubt and focusing on the future.

Kara didn't let her guard down completely, nor did Bucky as they made their way to the housing complex the Rogers's lived at when he and Steve were younger. The building was now gone and a gym was erected in its place. Bucky walked over to a brick wall from the butcher shop that was now a deli, next door. With his metal hand, he began to dig at the mortar around a specific brick. Kara watch as the brick loosened and Bucky's lips lifted up in a smile. He pulled the brick free, tossing it to the ground and pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. "What is it?"

He unrolled the paper and inside was a picture of a much smaller Steve Rogers standing by a roller coaster at Coney Island with Bucky standing beside him, both of them with large grins on their faces. "I made him ride that until he threw up. I was sure when he made me zip line on that train, it was payback."

"Buck… did you just remember that?" Kara placed her hand on his forearm, seeing the acknowledgment of this memory on his face.

"I did. It was the day I…" he trailed off and Kara could see the sadness in his deep blue eyes.

There it was the memory of the train and the last days of him being James Buchanan Barnes.

He folded up the photo and placed it in his jacket pocket. Kara laced her arm in his as they walked out of the alley. "Why did you put that photo there?"

"Steve and I decided if I didn't make it back from the war, he'd have this memory to hold on to. I left it here, at the butcher shop. We both worked there off and on and we had a lot of good memories here. I need this photo now," they walked back towards the bridge and to the motorcycle Bucky had hidden. Kara could tell this trip down memory lane wasn't to help Bucky find James but to find the good man that Sarah Rogers always saw in him. It was that man that would plant the seed to help him grow out of the darkness that surrounded him now.

"Where too, Sergeant?" she wrapped her arms around his waist as he revved the bike up.

"To find that last bottle of serum. Pierce isn't stupid enough to keep at SHIELD," he looked over his shoulder at her, seeing his future there in her emerald eyes.

Kara squeezed her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his strong shoulder. "So, more or less, we have to think like Hydra?"

"Guess so and Hydra would put it in plain sight. They would keep it where you'd least expect. They infiltrated SHIELD without raising an eyebrow. Nothing is as it seems, Kara," he pushed the bike forward until Kara shouted his name. He pulled the bike to the curb, turning around to look at her.

"I have an idea. Let me call, Jenny," Kara pulled her cell phone from her hoodie, quickly placing the call. Bucky gazed back at her as she climbed from the bike and paced the sidewalk beside him. "Okay, thanks. Jenny… stay safe and take care of dad."

"Well," Bucky reached out, taking her by the waist and pulling her to him. She placed her arms around his neck, leaning her body into his.

"SHIELD has a 'facility' not far from here, but it's highly guarded. After Hydra was discovered deep within SHIELD, all other operatives were put on high alert. The lab they used for the Rebirth experiment is still here, in Brooklyn. I think Pierce was using it to make the serum used on you and you may have even been there. Do you remember?" Kara pulled back from him, looking for any sign he knew something.

"I don't but with your help I could. I know a place we can stay. Let's get some rest and food and then we'll work on figuring this out," Bucky pulled her back to him, letting his lips take hers. Kara moved her lips slowly against his, her hands rubbing up and down his strong arms. His tongue tracing the seam of her lips, making her crave more of him. They hadn't been together since they left the farm and she needed another taste of his heaven.

"Let's go. I have something else in mind besides food and rest," her devious smile caused him to smirk back at her. He wanted that too, needed to be with her again. All the chaos in his mind was quieted when he was with her, deep inside her and seeking out the bliss she gave him.

~~ OO ~~

The store that was once a cover for the SHIELD lab was still standing and still no doubt a cover but now stood as an apartment complex. Bucky did a little bit of recon before he took Kara to his safe place. The building looked a little rough from the outside and even rougher on the inside. The stairs looked like they may cave in if you stepped on them and the smell of mildew was everywhere. Kara looked at Bucky like he was crazy, but she trusted him. They went up six flights of stairs, the wobbly railing making her nervous. Bucky held tight to her hand, seeing the reservation in her eyes.

"Are you sure this place is… safe?" Kara asked as they walked up to the roof entrance door and she her eyebrows furrowed.

"Pretty sure," Bucky briefly glanced back at her as he pushed the door open. The sun was nearly set as the city became bathed in an orange glow. Kara looked around only to see what looked like a greenhouse to her left. The metal and glass structure looked like it had seen better days. Some of the glass was broken, some of it spray painted black. The metal frame itself still stood strong, but the door seemed to be made completely of metal and padlocked.

"A lock… on a glass house. Really?" Kara giggled as she pulled at the padlock.

"It's not my place. Not my padlock but I know what they do here. Hydra owns it," Bucky grinned as he pulled the padlock effortlessly making the door swing open. The outside was just a facade, the glass just there for looks. The inside was a metal box that housed weapons, food and clothing. It was a bunker of sorts for a Hydra operative to lay low or regroup. Bucky must have used it in the past, perhaps recently.

"I know, Pierce had you wiped so how do you remember this place?" Kara looked at the wall of weapons, seeing his reflection in the metal.

Bucky pulled a semi-automatic from the wall, standing beside her as he loaded the clip. "They must have programmed this place in my mind. No matter what, I've always remembered it's here and the other Hydra safe houses around the world. Must be hardwired in me."

Kara reached over, taking the weapon from his hands and setting it down. She unzipped his jacket, sliding her hands over his chest and up his shoulders until she was removing the jacket from his arms. Bucky backed up, walking back towards the cot in the corner. They both wanted this, needed it and he wasn't about to deny her whatever she wanted tonight.

She slowly pulled his t-shirt up his body and over his head. He watched her fingers unbuckle his belt, pulling the leather through the buckle and unbutton his jeans, sliding the zipper down until they were loose around his manly hips. She looked back up at him with desire dripping from her eyes and making her core clenching violently.

The moment his hands touched her, her body melted to his touch. She was wet and ready, ready for the pleasure she knew was about to be hers. "Buck?"

Bucky took off her hoodie, sliding her t-shirt up her body slowly as his fingers graze her skin. She shivered slightly at the cool touch of his metal fingers, slamming her thighs tight. "Yes, beautiful."

"I don't need foreplay… just fuck me," her command rolled over her lips with an all-consuming want that made his cock go instantly rock hard. She reached down, letting her hand cup his bulge and rubbed him through the denim. He moaned as she sat them back, her legs parting and straddling him. Bucky began placing open mouth kisses along her neck, across her shoulder as his hands unfastened and removed her bra. When his lips began to caress her bare chest, her hand stopped moving on his length. Fast and hard is how she wanted it, what she needed and Bucky seemed to be moving it in a different direction. Going slow was not an option. Her desire for him was burning her alive, so much so she could feel the flames burning in her belly. Kara let out a moan as his lips pulled her hard nipple into his mouth. He had the most delicious way of torturing her and she was putty in his hands.

He cupped the back of her head as she tilted it back, turning them around and laying her back on the cot. "Kara… you need to stay quiet. No matter what."

"Uh… why?" she asked as he took his boots off, then hers, sliding her jeans down slowly. He stood up, pushing his jeans down and stepping out of them. His manhood was bulging hard against his boxers, leaving a wet spot in the front. Her core was soaked and eager to have him slide inside of her, but she wasn't sure she could keep quiet.

Buck hooked his fingers in the waistband of his boxers, jerking them down and climbing on the cot. Kara watched him as his hair hooded his lusty blue eyes. Her body was on fire now, all of her consumed by her need for the gorgeous man before her. He kissed down her belly, letting his hands slide up her thighs. When he reached her panties, he curled two fingers around them, pulling them down inch by inch. As he placed kisses along her hips, he finally answered her question. "Because they'll hear you."

"Who will hear me?" Kara lifted her head to look down at him as his face disappeared between her parted thighs. His tongue licked along her glistening lips, tasting her arousal. He let out a hum of appreciation before he lifted up and kissed her all the way from her ginger mound to the nape of her neck. Breathless and twitching, Kara gripped the sides of the cot until he stopped.

"Hydra. The place is bugged. I'm not sure I disabled all the spyware, so we need to keep it to a whisper," he pushed his hips forward, letting the tip of his manhood rest at the edge of her opening. She bit her bottom lip at the new added pressure. He was smiling back at her, enjoying this sweet torture he was providing. "You ready?" he asked with a sly little grin and she nodded her head.

With one swift movement of his hips he was in her, his hard cock giving her the friction she so eager and desperately wanted. Her knees came up to his side, giving him more access to pound into her. Bucky took that as an open invitation and rocked all of him forward, his hips now flush with hers. Her hands came up to his bulging arms, the metal plates moving and flexing as did the muscles and flesh of his real arm. The feel of the metal moving under her fingertips was just as sexy as the feel of his muscles bunching. "Oh… God!" she cried out and Bucky stalled his movements.

"Shhh," he scolded her before he thrust back inside her deep. He was stroking her velvet and teasing her G-spot with such vigor she was sure she'd die in his arms. He could tell she was about to scream, so he raised his flesh hand and capped it over her mouth as he raised to his knees and pounded her tight little cunt until they were both covered in sweat and sated.

After Kara came too, emerging from her sexual high, she looked over at Bucky who looked as elated as she did. "Again."

Bucky chuckled to himself as he rolled off the cot, picking up his jeans. "Sorry, beautiful. I'm sure once you get feeling back in your lower extremities, you'll thank me for saying no."

Kara looked down her sweat covered naked body to see the outlines of faint bruises starting to form on her hips and legs. He had gripped her tightly and she was lost in the high of being fucked senseless. "Oh… thanks." She lay there for a few more moments before grabbing her panties and t-shirt. Bucky was sitting at a desk, typing away on a laptop when she walked up behind him. He was deep in thought, so she kissed his cheek and grabbed them both some water and a bite to eat.

~~OO~~

Bucky looked so peaceful when he slept. No worry or stress covered his perfect features, he was beautiful. She stroked his broad chest as he slumbered, her hand making lazy circles between his well-formed pecks. "Wake up, Sergeant Barnes. Time to begin."

Bucky's eyes snapped open, fully dilated and full of fear. His heart was pounding between his ribs, his metal hand balling up into a fist. He looked at Kara as if he didn't see her, see the woman he loved. Before Kara could say anything else, Bucky's metal hand was wrapped around her throat, squeezing the life out of her. This was it, her vision… her death. She didn't fight him, she just mouthed I love you to him as her world turned black.

He closed his eyes, screaming at Zola to go away. The nightmare, the memory seemed so real, but now he knew it wasn't. He was safe with Kara, safe with the one person that gave his life meaning again. As his eyes opened again, they went wild with fear. "Kara!"


	20. Chapter 20

Bucky let go of Kara, his eyes wild with fear and worry. She lay there on the cot lifeless, no breath coming from her nostrils. He immediately began to title her head back, giving her quick breaths and doing his best to not crush her chest as he performed CPR.

"Kara, please… don't die. I'm sorry. I didn't know…" he gave her one more quick breath as she came too. Kara took a ragged breath, her hands flailing as she drew in each breath.

"Buck?" she managed to get out, sounding so frail and horse.

Without thinking, he scooped her up in his arms, rocking her back and forth as tears filled his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kar. I didn't know."

She slowly realized the vision wasn't of her death, but of Bucky's nightmares becoming all too real to him. Clint warned her that soldiers that have seen that much war, been through hell and back, never leave the war behind. It was blatantly obvious to Kara, Bucky's PTSD was starting to show itself to her. Bucky let go of her, laying her back on the cot. The fear and self-loathing in his blue eyes made the muscles of her heart squeeze hard in her chest.

"You have to go back to Laura's. It's not safe here with me. Clint was right," he jumped from the cot and began to pace the floor.

"I can't go. I have to help you," she scrambled to her feet slowly, feeling the tightness still around her throat.

Bucky placed his hands on her shoulders, making her look right at him. "You can't help me if you're dead." It was a standoff, two people that loved each other not willing to budge. Kara stood there just looking into his eyes, hoping he could see the love and understanding she was feeling for him. Her hand came up to rub her throat and he let her go. "I could have killed you. I… nearly did."

She reached out to touch his face and he jerked away. She placed her hand back down to her side, feeling like he was no ripping her heart apart. "I'm not dead but if you leave me… leave me alone then I might be. Hydra wants me and I think I'd rather die than be captured by them."

Bucky froze, his feet unable to move. The thought of Hydra experimenting on her chilled him all the way to the tip of his metal fingers. "You're right. You are safer with me than on your own. I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself, but you need to know it's not safe with me either. What I did to you, what I almost did to you… I couldn't bear it if I hurt you… again. I'm a ticking time-bomb ready to go off and you are in the target area. If I take you with me… you need to keep your distance."

Kara wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his chest. He rubbed her back softly, wishing he wasn't such a fucking mess. "Buck… I can deal with you PTSD. I did it every day at the Vet Clinic. You can push me away if it makes you happy, but dammit to fucking hell… I still love you. What we did tonight, if that is over so be it, but someday you'll touch me again, love me again… make love to me again."

She slowly released him and climbed back on the cot, pulling the blanket up around her. Bucky went back to the desk, typing on the laptop as he listened to his girl, his Kara cry herself to sleep.

Sleep slowly claimed her as she watched him search the laptop for any clues that may help them. She hoped when she woke Bucky wouldn't push her away. Part of her was afraid of him, but an even bigger part was afraid for him. She curled up on her side, tucking the blanket up around her and focused on the man she loved.

Kara found herself standing in the middle of what looked like an experimental lab, a pod-like table in front of her. There was an antique looking control panel to her left and an observation room to her right. Voices bang like echoes in her ears, voices of people she somehow knew were from a distant past. "Bucky?" Kara called out to him only to get silence as an answer. Then images, like a mirage in the desert, floated before her eyes. It was Steve Rogers, so much smaller than the man she knew yet still the same in so many ways. He was in the pod as it closed around him. She looked to his right seeing several different tubes of liquid being loaded into an ejection system and then disappear as the painful wails of Steve's agony filled the lab.

"BUCKY!" Kara screamed as she fell to her knees, her hands clasped around her ears. "STOP…YOU'RE HURTING HIM!" She screamed again, but when she looked up, she didn't see Steve anymore, but Bucky strapped to a table and the same liquid being pumped into him as he writhed in agony.

She sprang up on the cot, her forehead and hair drenched in sweat as she placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Buck?"

The same silence from her dream greeted her again as she climbed from the cot and looked around the bunker for any signs of her soldier. The dream clung her like the sweat on her brow, trickling there in her conscious mind. She knew where Bucky was and why he was there. The basement of this building was still being used as a SHIELD lab but under Hydra's supervision. She tossed on her clothes and boots and dashed down the stairs to the basement. When she got there, there was a desk in a front room and four blank walls.

"Come on Kara, think," she looked around the room, examining the desk until she spotted the clue she was looking for. On the front of the desk, by the lip of the edge looked disbursed to her. The desk was covered in dust, all but that one spot. She placed her fingers in the spot and found a button under the edge. The scratching sound of concrete and metal being moved filtered her ears from behind her. A spiral staircase led down into a dark room, a room she could feel Buck was in. As she ascended the stairs she could hear the sound of feet scuffling on the floor. The liquid that they needed so badly was in that lab and Bucky was most certainly in search of it. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted him ripping up a grate in the floor by the control panel. "Bucky, did you find it?"

He looked up at her, his dark hair curtaining his perfect blue eyes, "I think so."

She walked closer to him, squatting down and watching as his metal hand dipped down and retrieved a steel box with the word Rebirth etched on top. Bucky looked up at her as he sat back on his haunches, laying the box before her. Kara reached out, tracing her index finger over the word. A flash, just a flicker of a vision came to her before she could pull back her hand. She saw Bucky growing pale and weak, his blue eyes not as vibrant as they were now. She hoped the contents of this box would help them evade that future and set them on the path to taking down Hydra once and for all.

His metal fingers rip the lid from the box, exposing the truth of its contents. Kara picked up the vial, the liquid a different color than the one she saw in her dreams. Buck took it from her, holding it up to what little light was trickling in the room. "We need a needle or some way to inject it into my system."

Kara didn't feel right about this, didn't feel like this was what Bucky was really looking for. Something felt off, felt different to her, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. "Can we really be sure this is it, Buck. What if…"

He capped his metal hand on the back of her head and sealed her lips shut with a kiss. When he pulled back, she could see the elation in his eyes that maybe the nightmare of his life, the threat he posed to her would all end with this little vile. "This is it. I feel it, Kar."

How could she argue with him when he looked so hopeful, so happy? There was no way she was going to ruin this buzz, this high he was on and stomp out the hope he was feeling. They rose to their feet as Kara used the light from her cellphone to illuminate the room. It only took them a few moments to find a syringe that looked like it was made to hold the vile. Bucky sat against the control panel as he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. Kara held the syringe in her fingers, staring at the bulging muscles before her. The want and feral feelings from last night rose up from her apex and covered in her in the most seductive heat. She cared for him, wanted him and on some level, felt this connection to him that kept her heart linked to him. After one deep breath, she kissed his lips softly, then placed the needle to his flesh.

Bucky looked back her, seeing the bruises on her throat and hating himself for it. He had promised himself he would never touch her again, never let himself get close enough to hurt her again, but dammit, she was so engrained in his being now he couldn't. He left her sleeping in the bunker when he discovered that Hydra was still using the Rebirth lab for their own experiments and maybe, just maybe, the answer to his prayer was there.

He wanted to kiss her, touch her, but all he could see was her lifeless body, limp on the cot. It was for the best he does this without her, do it for her. Perhaps, if the vial was there, then he could have with her what he had before. It was a shot in the dark, a glimmer of hope that he could be the man she needed, the man she deserved. Finding the lab was easy enough and finding the hidden passage was even easier. As his keen eyes scanned the dark room, he could feel her presence. Her heartbeat was like music to his ears. The way she walked, the way she smelled and that vibration that crackled in the air around her was so attuned to him that he'd be able to pick her out in a crowd of hundreds.

He had just moments before her entrance stood before the pod that changed that feisty boy from Brooklyn that he called his best friend into the super soldier, Captain America. They had both changed, became a stronger, faster, better versions of themselves, but Steve's transformation didn't come with the same cost his did. Now he held the vial in his hand, had his girl by his side and hope for a day when he could walk out in the sun with her, hand in hand.

"Do it, Kar. It's what I need… it's what we need," he gave her a forced smiled as she placed the needle to his arm. He could read her desire for him all over her face. Her blown pupils, the way her breath hitched in her chest and that sensual rapid beat of her pulse. Maybe one day when he was better and not this monster that nearly killed her, he would have her again. She licked her pale pink lips as she placed her small hand on his shoulder. Their connection zipped through him like a hot electric charge. It was more than sexual, it was soul-stirring. She was a thing of desire for him, a desire that burned in his veins like lava, but when he looked at her, really looked at her, his passion was for something deeper. It was for a woman that loved him and he wanted to be able to love her back like that.

The needle punctured his skin and slipped into his vein. The serum passed from the vial and flowed into him, immediately sending pain coursing all over his body. Kara jumped back as she pulled the needle out. Buck arched back, his hands gripping the edge of the control panel and screamed so violently she fell to her knees weeping. What has she done? She knew something wasn't right about this, could feel it in her vision. "Bucky… are you okay?"

He wasn't okay. The pain from his memory, the pain that haunted his dreams was back again. His veins were burning to ash, his skin melting from his bones and his body jerking out of control, or at least that's the way it felt like to him. Kara stood before him, her wide green eyes locked on his as if to guide him back to her. He held her gaze, gripping the table and forcing the pain deep down. He reached his flesh hand out to her, his fingers trembling. "Kar… Kara."

She rushed to him taking his hand and holding onto it as he slipped from the control panel to the floor, his heartbeat starting to calm. Kara stroked his hair, humming the tune her mother used to sing to her as he closed his eyes and waited for the serum to do its work. She sat there on the cold metal floor, the light from the open door above sending down one shaft of light as she clung tightly to Bucky's hand. "I love you, James Barnes. Don't you dare die on me."

It was a strange twist now. Just this morning Bucky was begging her not to die and now she found herself begging him for the same thing. Bucky opened one eye, giving her a smirk. "Right back at ya… Bennett."

His facial features returned to normal as he relaxed. The fire that was consuming him was now like a warm bath. Her fingertips on his forehead, her hand in his was the anchor he needed to stay grounded. The pain of his transformation was a tattoo on his soul that he would never be able to remove, but this transformation was just a burn that would soon heal thanks to her love.

It felt like hours passed before Bucky came back to. Kara sat there, listening to the noise from the apartments above. The sound of children running in the hall, the shouts and screams of a couple fighting, the creaking metal of a wheelchair passing by the basement door. The world above had no clue what was going on, what Hydra and SHIELD were doing under their noses. The world wasn't as simple as black and white. It was gray and sometimes colorless with the war that raged on every single day. Kara's life had been plagued with the knowledge of this war and the assassin that carried out the death sentence of his masters. Now that assassin had a choice, had a life that didn't come with puppet strings. She stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers, loving how serene he looked. The madman that almost choked the life out of her was just a sliver of his personality. She knew this, but she needed him to know this, needed him to see it in himself. Kara rose up on her knees when she heard the sound of footsteps on the metal stairs.

Bucky's mind was starting to climb from the haze of his pain when he saw Kara walking towards the stairs. His senses were screaming at him to get up off the floor and run to her. All he could do was watch her walk away from him and towards some dark shadow coming down the stairs. "Kar… don't," those were the only words he could force from his lips.

Kara turned her head back to him, watching as he forced his lips open. The tiny steps were tapping down the stairs as she walked up them. She greeted this blue eyed, dark haired girl with a doll clutched in her arms. "Hey there sweetie. What are you doing down here?"

The little girl looked to be no more than five and obviously lost. Kara knelt down on the stair as she played with the hem of the doll's dress. "Are you the bad people?"

"No, we're not. Why? Do bad people come here?" Kara looked at her small face, seeing fear in her eyes and tears welling up.

"Uh huh. They hurt my daddy. Momma told me to go hide. I hide when they're here," her small voice quivered as she talked to Kara, her fear coating her words. Kara picked her up, feeling the urgency to get the hell out of there.

"You have to go with me. I'll take you back to your mom, but I have to get my friend first," she dashed back to Bucky, finding him climbing to his feet. She took his hand and pulled him towards the stairs. "They're here. We have to go."

Bucky gripped her hand a little tighter as he ignored the child in her arms and pulled her up the stairs to the basement entrance. The Hydra tactile guard was almost to the basement and Bucky knew they were out of time. He must have triggered a silent alarm when he pushed the button to the lab door. They were surrounded by concrete walls and the metal tomb of the lab. He let go of Kara's hand just long enough to use his metal fist to pull the air vent from the ceiling. She handed him the girl and he pushed her inside, then he lifted Kara up and she crawled up. The vent that was lateral to her looked narrow but wide enough for them to crawl through. She pushed the girl forward as she crawled on all fours with Bucky behind her. She couldn't stop the thought of Bucky staring at her ass from fluttering in her mind. A small giggle escaped her lips when she felt Bucky's hand on her backside. "Faster."

She could feel the unforgiving metal digging into her knees as she crawled as fast as he could through the small passageway. The girl began to cry, her sobs echoing through the vents. Kara grabbed her, holding her hand over her mouth. She could see a vent to an apartment just a few inches from them. She scooted on her ass towards the vent, using her feet to kick it open. The elderly woman that lived there jumped out of her chair, yelling at her as she and Bucky climbed out. "I'm so sorry. Please take her."

The old woman took the girl, calling her Joanna. "You know her?" Kara asked as Bucky opened the apartment door, scanning the hallway for the Hydra guards.

"She's my neighbors daughter," the girl handed her doll up to Kara and she took it, kissing it. Bucky grinned back at her as he thanked the woman for taking the girl.

They entered the hall, moving swiftly towards the front of the building. They had luckily found themselves on the first floor and only two doors from the exit. The light from outside blinded them both for a moment and Bucky wondered if he had time to scale the side of the building and retrieve their things from the hidden bunker. As if she could read his mind, Kara shook her head. "No. Don't. They're probably waiting on us there. We'll find more weapons. We'll find a way."

He pulled her to him, cradling him in her strong arms. "Where to now, Ms. Bennett?"

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter, Mr. Barnes," she gazed up at him and for the first time saw not the soldier, but the man looking back at her. He kissed the top of her head when a bullet whizzed passed them. Bucky glared up to see a Hydra sniper on the roof. He wanted to go up there and rip his head from his shoulders, but he had to think of Kara, had to think of keeping them both safe until the serum took hold.

They ran into the street, cars screeching to a stop as Bucky held Kara in his arms as he climbed the hoods, jumping from vehicle to vehicle. When he made it to the other side of the street, he spotted a motorcyclist on the corner. He sat Kara down and pushed the man off the bike. He mounted the bike, pulling Kara on behind him and speed off towards the bridge and away from New York. They had to get weapons, had to find a place to low while the last dose of serum worked its way through his body. He revved the bike harder, pushing it to its limits as Kara held on tight. She was between elated and scared, her heart beating hard beneath her ribs. She thought for sure after this morning that Bucky would never touch her again or that she wouldn't want him to, but they both needed each other too much. What he did wasn't him, wasn't the real him. She had already made up her mind not to share the same bed with him until he got his nightmares under control, but that didn't mean she couldn't share his life.

Tomorrow would be a new day for them, a new day of undiscovered territory. Although they lived in the unknown most of the time, she still had her visions. They were all she had to guide her, guide them to a life without Hydra. Maybe she was fooling herself into some false sense of security. One thing was clear to Kara, she was as much a part of this now as Bucky was.

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A/N: The journey has just begun. Kara and Bucky have a very long road ahead of them. Thanks for reading.


	21. Chapter 21

Two days had passed since Bucky had taken the serum. They had fled from the Hydra soldiers that had found them in New York and were currently held up in cabin somewhere in Canada. They happened upon the hunting cabin in the middle of the night, not really sure where they were or what they were going to do next. Bucky had developed a fever and was growing paler by the second. Kara was sure there was something wrong with the serum he had taken. She blamed herself for not checking it out or at least trying to contact her father before giving it to him.

"Kara…" Bucky called out to her as sweat clung to him, his body on fire from head to toe. The serum was working, or so he thought.

She ran to his side with a bowl of cool water and a cloth for his head. He gave her a faint smile as she knelt beside him, dabbing the cloth on his searing skin. "I need to talk to my dad. He knows about the serum. Buck… you're getting worse. Your skin is so hot I can barely touch you and you haven't been able to eat all day. I'm going into town in the morning and calling Jenny," she wiped the cloth across his forehead when he grabbed her wrist. She stopped and gave him that pleading look he had become familiar with.

"No. I can't let you do that… not for me," she kissed his forehead, ignoring him and he knew it. He tried to sit up, but fell back on the couch. The cabin was small but had everything they needed for the time being. He wasn't sure how long it would take for the serum to run its course, but he couldn't travel the way he was.

Kara hadn't slept beside him since that night in the bunker. Part of him was grateful she was keeping her space while he was sleeping, but a more needy part of him craved her touch and longed for the feel of her body next to his. As she tucked a throw around his legs, she grabbed a book and curled up in an armchair. This was their relationship now. He was in love with a woman that was his light, his hope that he couldn't get too close to. She was a flower that dared to bloom in his shadow and he nearly crushed her fragile petals under his metal fist.

As the fever raged on, Bucky slept on and off, feeling Kara's soft hand swiping a cool cloth over his forehead, face and chest. The soft light of morning greeted him when he woke, his fever burning him alive. He lifted his heavy head briefly as he scanned the room for Kara. "Kar… you there?" The emptiness of the cabin answered him back as the wind caused the cabin to creak and moan. Her stubborn streak ran a mile wide and on a better day he would have found that stubbornness cute, but today he was just annoyed. "Kara, dammit!" he shouted as he dragged his body from the couch, using the wall and furniture to make it to the kitchen. He slumped over the kitchen sink, turning on the cold water and tucking his head under the stream. "Stupid. How can you do so stupid, Kar?"

"Are you talking to yourself or are you seeing things now?" she giggled from behind him, holding a kitchen towel over his wet locks. "I didn't go into town. Didn't have to. There's a phone upstairs and it still works. Called Jenny at Laura's. She's going to ask dad about the serum and get back to me."

The fire in his blue eyes matched the fire on his flesh. He was seething mad, nearly on the edge of erupting at her. Through clenched teeth, he began to scold her. "We are on the run. People that have the means to track a call are looking for us. We have to leave here… now."

She pushed him back in the kitchen chair, taking very little effort to do so. "No."

"No? Do you know something I don't?" he was taking everything in him to stay sitting upright and even more energy not to yell at her.

Kara cupped his heated scruffy cheek as she stared back into his stormy blue eyes. "I used a code Jenny gave me. She told me before we left Laura's that if I needed her call, to use that code. She called me back on Clint's secure cell phone. Really Mr. Barnes, do you think I haven't learned anything from you? Give me a little faith and some trust."

Those words cut into Bucky, causing his heart to sink further in his chest. He reached his hand out to her and she took it, kissing the back of it. The smile she gave him made him feel unworthy of her or her love. The bruises from that night were starting to turn a darker color, the ones on her left side deep and purple. Kara covered her neck with her hand, casting her eyes down to the floor. "Don't. I need to see them. I did that to you. I told you Kara… I'm a monster."

"Stop saying that. No you're not. The monster that they woke up wasn't you. Every time they pulled you out of your cold sleep you fought the Hydra monster and found James Barnes, only to have your true self wiped clean. If you think you're a monster, you're wrong. There is nothing you can or will do to make me believe you are," the spark of love in her green eyes sparked that lump of dead tissue in his chest, making his heart beat again.

She helped pull him up, walking him back to the couch. Before she walked away, he whispered his response to her. "I promise, I'll never hurt you again."

Three more hours passed by with him trying to eat, sleeping and having Kara trying cold compresses to keep his fever at bay. When the phone rang upstairs, she bounded them two at a time. Bucky lifted his heavy limbs, using his metal arm to pull him towards the stairs. Kara was speaking in a low tone with long pauses in between.

"No Daddy we did find a serum, but it's making him sick. Is there something I need to do, something I did wrong," Kara's words were laced with concern and worry, each syllable carrying her fear for Bucky. A few beats passed before she spoke again. "It was in the Rebirth lab. I don't know, they might have made it from Steve's blood. What? Those bastards were experimenting on making more super soldiers. Fuck. So, what does this mean?" the words leave her lips as Bucky made his way up the stairs and collapsed at the top. "Daddy… thank you. Love you. I have to go." Kara raced to him sitting down on the floor beside him, placing Bucky's head in her lap. Her slender fingers stroked his face, moving his sweat-soaked hair from his face. "I have something I have to do. You should rest."

The words to protest this or even ask her what she had learned from her father wouldn't pass his lips. Fever, exhaustion, pain and shivers controlled his body, rendering him mute. After helping him to bed, Kara walked away. The creak of the stairs were the last he heard of her until the sun had set. He woke to soaked sheets and his fever broken. The pain that had crept into his bones was still very much there, but the fire that had been licking at his skin was quenched. He wasn't sure if Kara had done something or if the fever broke on its own. He bounded from the bed with ease, glad to have the use of his body again. The sound of water running in the kitchen gained his attention as soon as he entered the living room. He wanted to wrap his arms around Kara's waist, kissing the back of her neck and thank her for everything she'd done for him, but instead he found the water running in the sink with blood staining the once white porcelain. With his heart resounding in his ears, he screamed her name over and over. Frantically, he searched the house, tossing the furniture about, hoping to find her.

"Kara! Please answer me!" his fear began to grip him as his metal hand snapped the kitchen chair in his hand in two.

The house began to grow colder as if the fall day had turned into winter. A frost formed on his cybernetic arm, chilling him all the way up his shoulder. Bucky stood there watching as the room became frozen, like the sleeping chamber his Hydra handlers locked him over and over. Looking down at his hands, numbness tingling in his fingers, he saw blood dripping from his fingertips, making droplets on the floor. "What the fuck?"

A dark figure stepped out from the darkened corner of the living room, the face that of his tormentor. "Hello, Sergeant Barnes. Welcome back."

Bucky looked from Dr. Zola's face to the room that had transformed around him. He wasn't at the cabin any longer, but the lab the Winter Soldier was created in. With a primal scream, he began to rip and tear at the metal door as Dr. Zola closed it over him.

~~OO~~

Kara feared the worst for Bucky. There was no doubt left in her mind that something was very wrong with the serum she had given him. After speaking to her sister, she was even more sure it. His new symptoms weren't just his body adjusting to the serum changing him, but his body becoming weak because of it. She paced the floor as Bucky slept on the couch, his chest falling and rising slowly as beads of sweat dribble off his brow. Her worry was about to consume her. She loved him, would gladly walk through fire for him, but she was uncertain if her Bucky would emerge from his slumber or the man that was locked in a Hydra nightmare. The PTSD he suffered gripped his mind, making him see and do things that he had no control over. There was no doubt he loved her, but the soreness in her throat and the bruises on her skin were a harsh reminder that his love for her couldn't save her if the Winter Solider took over. The phone rang in the bedroom and she darts up the stairs. Her hand trembled as she picked it up, hearing her father say hello on the other end.

"Daddy… I need your help," her voice cracked, laced with worry and stress.

"Sweetheart, the only thing that can help him is the serum…" Ben was about to ask about Bucky's condition when she cut him short.

"No daddy, we did find the serum, but it's making him sick. Is there something I need to do, something I did wrong," Kara bit into her lower lip, letting her eyes drop to the stairs.

"Serum? Did you find the vial Pierce had? I'm sure it was in his possession," her father sounded stronger, more confident of his memories, but what he was saying made the thoughts in her head scream at her that she had royally fucked up.

Her throat felt like sandpaper, as if she might choke on her words. In a rush, she pushed the words from her lips. "It was in the Rebirth lab."

"That old lab. SHIELD abandoned it. They made more serum… but how?" Ben sounded puzzled, as if none of this made any sense to him.

"I don't know, they might have made it from Steve's blood," the flash of a vision from the Rebirth experiment came to her, blinding her thoughts for just a moment.

"Kara… Hydra had tried for years to duplicate the serum used on Steve Rogers, but they failed. Twenty men died in those experiments. The serum Zola developed for Bucky was different than Steve's, designed to mimic the Rebirth serum. Bucky was the first man to survive it," Ben trailed off, wishing his mind wasn't so full of cobwebs.

"What? Those bastards were experimenting on making more super soldiers. Fuck. So, what does this mean?" those words left her lips as Bucky made his way up the stairs and collapsed on the top. "Daddy… thank you. Love you. I have to go."

Kara raced to him, sitting down on the floor beside him, placing Bucky's head in her lap. Her slender fingers stroked his face, moving his sweat-soaked hair from his face. "I have something I have to do. You should rest."

She helped him into bed, kissing his lips softly as she whispered she loved him. Bucky was soon out, his fever burning her lips. Her feet swiftly moved down the stairs, barely making contact with each step. She looked the cabin over for a laptop or computer. Kara hadn't really left Bucky's side much since they'd took the cabin over. It was a surprise to find a landline upstairs, so she wondered what else could be hidden among the real owner's possessions. The cabin was small but roomy enough to hold a living room, kitchen and bathroom downstairs with a bedroom upstairs. She began to rifle through the cabinets and shelves in the living room, finding nothing. Kara tossed her hands up in the air, wondering if any of the cabins nearby would have a computer. She slipped on her shoes and begins to make the hike to the cabin down the hill from them.

The log cabin looked like the one they had taken up residence in but newer. She walked up to the back of the cabin, seeing drop cloths over the furniture. This was a complete bust, there couldn't be anything electronic in there. Her heart fell in her chest as she made her way back up the path. The sound of a vehicle approaching made her take cover in some shrubs.

"God… this day just gets better and better," she mumbled to herself as she peered through the foliage to see who it was. There, sitting out front of the neighboring cabin was a Jeep with two young men climbing out. She watched them for a moment, listening to them brag about throwing one hell of a party as they unloaded boxes of food and beer. Kara waited until they were inside to check out the Jeep. They had two suitcases in the back and a backpack. She grabbed the backpack and took off up the hill, running as fast as she could. She didn't care what was in it, she just hoped it was something she could use. When she was out of sight, she sat down under a tree and began to pull out the contents. Kara giggled when she found two bottles of whiskey, a box of condoms, a bag of what she assumed was marijuana and a smartphone.

"Yes!" she shouted, turning the phone on. Luck was on her side as she slid her finger over the screen to find it without some kind of security lock. The picture of some pretty little blonde blowing a kiss blared back at her, making her giggle again. "Sorry kid… I hope your parents had insurance."

Kara ran back to their cabin, plopping herself down in a chair and pulled up the internet search engine, typing in Alexander Pierce. Kara spent what felt like an hour in the woods, finding out everything she could about Peirce, how to treat a high fever and sharpening her skills on war vet PTSD. She woke up with a crook in her neck, the smartphone on her chest and the backpack at her feet. After tucking the phone in her pocket, she climbed to her feet, stretching out the soreness in her body. Her stomach began to grumble as she approached the kitchen. Taking an apple from the table, she began to cut it into wedges when the smartphone rang, making her jump, causing the knife to slip. Blood squirted from the cut in her hand into the kitchen sink. "Fuck," she shouted through gritted teeth as she grabbed a kitchen towel. Rushing off to the bathroom to find the first aid kit, she was rambling through the medicine cabinet when she heard a commotion in the kitchen. "Buck?"

After applying gauze and tape to her hand, she made her way back into the kitchen where she saw Bucky standing there, eyes wide and locked in fear, the table and chairs lying in a splintered pile on the floor. Bucky stood frozen like a statue, his chest heaving as his face grew paler. Slowly she approached him, her outstretched hand hovering but not touching him. "Buck… it's me. It's Kara. You're safe, you're here with me. Buck… come back to me. Look at me, love."

His head slowly turned, his eyes still wide with tears about to fall down his cheeks. He dropped the chair in his hand, cocking his head to the side. "Kar?"

"Yeah. It's Kara… your Kara," her hand stayed just over his chest, her eyes locked on him. Bucky closed his eyes for a second, letting out a slow sigh.

"Help me," he whispered out before he fell to the floor. Kara moved quickly to move under him, letting his body crash hard on hers. All his weight rested on her body, his head resting on her shoulder. She ran her fingers over his forehead, feeling not the fever she expected, but a cold, clammy sweat that was thick on his brow.

"I got you and I'm never letting you go," she kissed the top of his head as she wiggled around until she could retrieve the smartphone. Using her thumb, she dialed the only number she could, to get the help she needed. "Clint… I need you."

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A/N: Thank you for all the follows/ favorites and for continuing to read this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.


	22. Chapter 22

Kara sat on the couch with Bucky's head resting in her lap. She had nearly pulled her back out trying to get him from the kitchen to the living room. He was out cold, as cold as the flesh that now rested against her thigh. Her fingers lazily stroked through his hair as she sent up a small prayer he'd be okay. How could she be so foolish? She let him take that serum, no she gave him that serum without checking it out first.

"Kara?" Clint called her name as his heavy boots clunked up the steps.

"In here," she answered back, never taking her eyes of off Bucky.

Clint walked in, dressed in what looked like tactical gear. Kara's heart skipped a beat, thinking they were either in trouble or SHIELD was about to walk in the door. "Don't worry, I'm alone," Clint soothed her worried mind as he closed the door.

"I'm sorry to put you in the middle of this, but I didn't know what else to do. They'll be looking for Jenny and my dad, they won't expect you to help me. Hell, do they even know we're related?" Kara tried to ease out from under Bucky's weight as Clint knelt down to check him over.

"You shouldn't have put me in the middle of this. Steve is a friend, a good friend and he's been looking for Bucky. I know all about it, Kara. I know what he's done, what Hydra did to him. If you trust him… love him, then he must have some redeeming qualities. I don't know why you won't call Rogers, but that's on you. I'll take you two back home with me, not even SHIELD knows about that side of my life," Clint looked back at her and she knew she could trust whatever discussion he made.

Clint lifted Bucky up off the couch, tossing him over his shoulder as Kara gathered their things, leaving the smartphone on the entry table. She wasn't sure how long she had to get the real serum to Bucky or if his body would accept it after the dose of the experimental serum. There was no way she was going to let it all end like this, with him dying before he'd had a chance to really live.

She climbed in the truck as Clint strapped Bucky into the back of the king cab. He was unconscious and deathly pale. "I asked Ben if he knew where the serum might have been before the fall of Pierce. He isn't sure, except that he had it last. He kept it close. We might have to go back to D.C. to look for it. If I do this, you have to promise to tell Steve you've found him. Just a call. You don't have to tell him where he is or what you're doing, but for the love of God, please ease the man's mind. That's his best friend, his brother and he's torturing himself looking for him."

Kara looked back at Clint, unsure what to say. It wasn't her place to tell Steve anything. If Bucky wanted Steve to know, he'd tell him, but if she were out there looking for him, she'd want someone to give her some peace of mind. "Okay. I promise. Just a call. That's it. I won't mention you or Laura but you have to promise me something. You'll listen to Bucky's side of things before you decide to write him off."

"Hey, if he's good enough for Rogers, he's good enough for me. Some would say I'm a monster, the killer of the thousands I've sent to an early grave. The families of those men I've had to kill wouldn't see me as a savior or a hero. Bad men aren't bad, just under the assumption their right," he gave her a small smile before he pulled out a cell phone and called Jenny.

Kara must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew they were pulling into a meadow that rolled out behind Clint's house. A rustic barn rested at the edge of the property, covered in creeping vines and parts from old farm tractors. Bucky was awake and chatting with Clint so she pretended to still be asleep, fighting a small smile because he was opening up to someone besides her.

"I wish I could keep her out of this Clint, but I can't. We're connected and she'd just track my ass down. She's stubborn like that," Bucky let out an exasperated sigh as the truck pulled onto a dirt road.

"That entire family is. There is just something about the Bennett's that make them so tenacious. I get why she's doing this. She loves you. If it were Laura not even God could keep me from her. Kara's smart and stronger than you give her credit for. Jenny told me about her visions, about her seeing you all those years. Maybe on some smaller level she saw the real man behind the assassin and was falling for you before she ever meet you," Clint's words made Kara want to cry, making tears sting her eyes.

She felt Bucky's hand on her shoulder, his hand once again warm, nearly hot. "She's the only person that could ever understand what I've been through. She gets me, Clint. I love Steve like a brother, he's been my everything for so long, but Kara… she's suffered with me. I know Steve would have bared this burden for me, but Kara did it and she didn't even know me. She's my heart now, my world and the more I'm around her, the more I need her. I have to keep her safe, keep her from Hydra's poison."

The truck came to a sudden stop and she lifted her head to see Bucky smiling back at her. "Where are we?" she asked as Clint cut the engine.

"Home. We have to get Bucky well while we go look for this serum," Clint climbed out of the cab when Kara felt Bucky's hand squeeze her shoulder.

"I have to go with you. Don't make me stay here, waiting. The not knowing if you are safe will drive me crazy," Kara capped her hand over his, giving him a half smile.

She turned in the chair as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "You're not well. I'll get Jenny to look after you. Don't worry, I'll be safe with Clint. Let me help you. If I lose you, I'm not sure what will happen to me. So, just please do this for me."

Bucky lowered his eyes, slowly retracting his hand. "One week, then I come after you."

Kara smiled briefly before she stroked his cheek. "If I'm not back in the week, you might need you to come look for me," she was trying to lighten the mood, but from the look on Bucky's face, she only made him more uneasy. She exited the truck and immediately went to Bucky. She placed his flesh arm over her shoulder, glad he wasn't protesting the aid.

Clint placed his things at the back door, then ran back to Kara and Bucky. "I got him, Kara." Clint took most of Bucky's weight on him, telling Kara to go open the back door. "I'll take him to the guest room. Go tell Laura to get her kit."

She looked over her shoulder as she stepped up on the back porch, seeing Bucky grimace from the pain coursing through his body. Laura was waiting on her as soon as she entered the house. They gave each other a long hug as Clint made his way towards them. "The bed's all made up, honey. Take him on in… I need to have a word with Kara." Bucky gave Laura a courteous smile, doing his best to make it down the hall. Jenny walked in the kitchen with her father right on her heels.

Ben placed his calloused hands on his eldest daughters face, looking at her as if she might vanish before his eyes. "Jenny is helping me remember. I think I might know where you need to go to help your friend."

"Where Dad?" she placed her hands over his and his eyes dimmed as if a light had shut off in his mind. Jenny took Ben by the shoulders and guided him back to the table.

"D.C., it has to be. It's the only place that makes sense. Clint wants to go alone, but I think you and Bucky both should go with him. That way, if you find the serum you don't have to wait to give it to him. I can pull a favor, a guy in SHIELD owes me. You can stay at his apartment while he's out of town. I tell him to keep it on the D.L., so don't stress out and stop biting your nails," Jenny smacked her fingers out of her mouth, but all Kara could do was think about Bucky and how sick he was getting.

Kara pulled her hand back, hating how bossy Jenny got when she was right. Kara wasn't sure if Bucky was up for the trip, he had gotten sicker since New York and she wasn't sure what the serum in his system was doing to him. Keeping him close was a good idea. Bucky had already begged her not to leave him behind, that sad, lost boy staring at her as if his very existence clung to her. Laura walked in, clearing her throat to get Kara's attention. Kara turned as Laura waved for her to follow. They walked down the hallway into the guest room, the side table lamp casting an amber light into the hall. Bucky was resting with his metal arm tucked under his head, his chest bare and this serene look on his face.

"How is he?" Kara asked as she sat gently on the foot of the bed. Her eyes scanned over him, taking in how perfect he truly was.

"The serum isn't compatible with his body. It's a raw form I think. I don't remember much from my nursing days, but I do know that his body won't react to medicine like mine or yours. Maybe after some liquids, rest and a few more doses of antibiotics, he'll be ready to travel. Clint wants to do some recon, so you have a day to just rest up," Laura patted her shoulder, before handing her the bottle of medicine. Kara gripped it in her hand, praying that this worked out. Placing the bottle on the nightstand, she curled up in the bed with Bucky, letting her head rest on his chest. He twitched in his sleep, making her jump up. The memory of his hands around her throat was still fresh in her mind. She saw her sister staring at her bruises, her eyes examining the shape and size. Kara fought to find her breath as she began to hyperventilate. With shaking hands, she crawled off the bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Get it together, Kar. He loves you. He does. That wasn't Bucky… that wasn't your Bucky," she splashed some cold water on her face as she tried to convince herself to go back out to him. As she turned the door knob she felt the metal of his left hand around her throat, squeezing the life out of her. She let go and slide to the floor, holding back her tears.

"Kara, you in there?" Clint called out to her as he pushed the door open. When he peeked in the door, he saw her there on the floor. Clint rushed to her, pulling her in his arms. She gripped him tight, as if the floor might open up and swallow her whole. Stroking her hair, Clint whispered in her ear. "What's wrong? Is it Bucky?"

She shook her head as she let go of him. "No and yes. He's got issues, you know that."

"I saw the bruises, Kara. You don't have to tell me how you got them, it's written all over Bucky's face. That's why I'm going with you… to help him and keep you safe," Clint kissed her forehead and helped her up off the bathroom floor. They walked into the bedroom to find Bucky sitting up, having a bowl of soup. Laura looked over at them, winking at her husband.

Kara sat next to Bucky, taking the napkin on the tray and wiping his chin. "It's good to see you up and eating." Laura pointed to the glass of milk on the table and wouldn't stop giving Bucky her mother's glare until he drank it. Kara gave her a chuckle, thinking if she only knew who she was bossing around. Bucky yawned wide, lulling his head back.

"The antibiotics are working, but he needed to take the medicine every two or three hours," Laura took the tray, nudging her head for her husband to follow. Kara curled up to Bucky again, her body a tad too tense. He lifted his right arm, letting her settle in. She looked up at him, resting her hand on his stomach. His skin was warm but no longer on fire. He was starting to look like her Bucky, but she really wasn't sure who that was anymore. Had she romanticized him in her head? A man of action with stunning blue eyes, a face and body any model would be jealous of and a heart that bore the scars of his past.

"You don't have to stay with me. I understand. I'm not sure I trust myself, Kar," she gazed up into those breathtaking blue eyes and felt her heart pound against her chest. Her lips were on his in a beat, her body arching up to kiss him harder. Bucky let her devour him, let her take what she needed from him, it was the least he could do, but his heart felt he didn't deserve her.

She released her hold on him as she felt his cold, desponded kiss back. "You… don't want me here. You don't love me… anymore." Kara rolled to the other side of the bed when Bucky placed his hand on her hip, scooting up until his chest was resting against her back.

Bucky's lips were only inches from her ear, his tongue teasing the shell. "I've never loved anyone more. You got me all wrong, beautiful. I want you so much it scares me. You are the only thing holding me together right now, the only thing that makes sense in all this chaos. I won't hurt you again because I won't let myself get that reckless again. It's better if we don't share a bed."

"I agree, but I'm not leaving this room. I won't abandon you, I won't leave you to deal with the nightmares by yourself. Love goes two ways Bucky Barnes, and I'm here…" her voice was silenced by his lips, his large hand cupping her face and pulling her to him. His lips curved into hers, tasting her, taunting her until they were both panting.

"Until the end of the line…" he lifted his lips long enough to whisper that to her, before he pulled her on top of him, letting their bodies melt into each other. She wanted him, needed him, but she needed him well and back in fighting condition more. Kara pulled back, straddling his sides. Her knees buried in the mattress as she tried to catch her breath.

"I was going to say, I'm here until my last breath, but that works too," the giggle that left her lips made his heart leap with joy. His hands rested on her hips, running the metal hand up her side. "Bucky… "

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Bucky rested his hands on her thighs, looking deep into her eyes. This was for the best, he knew it, she knew it, but it felt wrong somehow, to not have her cuddled up to him or his arms around her as he let the sound of her heartbeat lull him to sleep. He let her go, watched her as she grabbed a blanket and a pillow to curl up on the couch across from the bed. He knew her stubborn nature would just kick in if he protested the sleeping arrangements, so he rolled over on his side to let the long night begin.

It had to be a vision, no dream ever felt this real to her. As soon as she'd laid down on the couch, the scent of Bucky on the pillow took over her senses and as the night lingered on, her sight became locked into some future scenario. There, right in front of her was a hand sized oak box adorned with the Hydra symbol on the top. She picked it up, flipping open the lid to find a tube of dark blue liquid. She looked up from the box to the room she was standing in, the walls a dark gray with high ceilings. After placing the tube back in the box, she tucked it into a backpack only to have a bullet barely miss her head and hit the wall.

"Clint!" Kara screamed out as she tossed the backpack over one shoulder and ran out of the room, towards the back of the house. There waiting for her in the hallway was a man in a mask with a skull and crossbones across his chest. Clint stood behind her with Bucky approaching the man slowly. Bucky didn't look well, his eyes were sunk in with large dark circles underneath them. His lips were dry and cracked, his skin a sickly gray. "No…" Kara whispered as Bucky pulled his gun from his side and the masked man turned on him, kicking him back into Clint. She tossed the backpack off, watching the masked man's head turn towards it. If Bucky couldn't have the serum, neither could Hydra, so she made her mind up right then that there was only one course of action. As she pulled the handgun from the back of her jeans, she heard Clint scream at her to run, but it was too late. The fire fight had begun.

Bucky pulled her in his arms as she woke up screaming. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up into his beautiful face. His arms encircled her, encompassing her in a cocoon of protection and love. "Kara, it's just a dream.

"No… it was a vision. The serum is real and protected by Hydra. Go get Clint, we need to make some plans," Bucky was reluctant to let her go. His dreams had been fraught with visions of needles and doctors, probing and poking, death and blood surrounding him. He woke up just before she did, clutching his pillow and shaking with rage. When he heard her screaming, all thoughts of his past life and the nightmares that lay within faded. All he could think of was Kara and what could be making her scream.

"Let me hold you just a little while longer. I think we both need it," he climbed on the couch, pulling Kara in his lap as he kissed her temple. She snuggled up, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around his neck. She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, leaning against his metal shoulder. The feel of his hand on her cheek calmed her nerves, washing away all the doubt and fear that had pulled her under. "You're not leaving here without me. We're in this together… no matter what."

Kara cast her eyes up to his face, seeing the softness in his features and the pleading look in his eyes. "I won't leave without you. I can't. You're as much a part of me now as the air I breathe. You're sick and getting sicker. The serum is making you weak and without the last dose of your serum, you may die. Jenny was right, you need to be there so I can give you the serum as soon as we find it."

Buck's lips rest on her forehead, his hand stroking her back as he contemplated his mortality. "I've been in limbo for seventy years. I'm ready to live again, Kara. You give me life, you make what life I have worth living. If I only have one more day… I'd rather be by your side than without you."

Tears flow from Kara's eyes, flowing down her face and wetting his shoulder. Bucky cupped her cheek, pulling her face up to him. "I don't want to be without you either," she said before he sealed his lips over hers, giving her all the love and passion he had for her in that one long, searing kiss. Kara moved out of his lap and down to the couch, pulling him on top of her. He ghosted his hand down her side, under her shirt until his flesh made contact with her smooth stomach. She smiled up at him, wanting him so badly it burned through her body like gasoline being thrown on a fire. "Buck…"

"Shhh…" he whispered out as his lips claimed each inch of exposed skin, the shirt slowly rolling up her body until he was helping her pull it over her head. Kara wiggled underneath him, trying so hard to let her aching, heated core making contact with the erection she was feeling against her hip. Bucky slipped his metal hand around her hip, under her back to pull her flush against his body. The feel of her body, the smell of the sweet lavender that floated from her hair caused the tension in his belly to pull tighter. "Take off your panties and get on all fours."

The command sent spikes of molten electricity down her spine, erupting into a sensual tidal wave through her core. Spams racked her body, making her legs tremble as she reached down to pull her panties from her hips. Bucky raised up, quickly pulling off his pants and gripping his long, thick cock. She watched him stroke himself as she slid the panties down her legs, using her left foot to kick them across the room. Her knees had barely hit the couch cushion when Bucky slide in behind her, his hand on her hip, his knee pushing her legs further apart. Kara gripped the arm of the couch as he settled behind her, his hand coming down to rub the swell of her ass and up to her throbbing clit. She bucked forward at the contact, feeling the surge of her passion ebbing back like the ocean only to surge forth with such violence she screamed out his name. "BUCK…"

With her body shaking from the near orgasm that was forcing its way through her core, Bucky slipped the tip of his cock into her entrance, sending her reeling. Bucky could feel the pulsating velvet all around him as he slid in, inch by inch. He wasn't sure if it was the heat, the plush of her walls or the way she was rocking back into him that caused his orgasm to creep through his balls and latch on to his body. "Kara… my god," he grunted out as he began to move faster, sending them both closer to the edge. The euphoria of it all closed in around them, covering them both in complete bliss. Through the connection they shared, she could feel how intense his climax was, how it ravaged his body with quick bursts of pleasure and the sense of falling deeper in love with her. Her mind let go of everything but the man making love to her, the feel of his need for her and how much they were truly bonded. Bucky could feel her energy pushing back through him, intensifying the rapture that claimed them. With both his hands on her hips, his length stroked her walls with long, full thrusts until they both topple over into an other worldly orgasm that left them beyond sated and out of breath.

Kara lay there on her stomach as Bucky pulled out of her, his hands stroking over her hips. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard coming towards the door, making them smile at each other. Kara grabbed the blanket off the floor, wrapping it around her back and holding it open for Bucky to step in. Their bodies touch, sweat and heat mingling as she wrapped them up. Bucky dipped down for a sweet, tender kiss as Clint knocked on the door. "You two okay?"

A giggle floated from Kara as Bucky's lips lifted from hers. "Never better, Mr. Barton."

"We need to talk to him… remember," he winked at her while his metal index finger lifted her chin up. He kissed the tip of her nose, before he told Clint to come in. Clint opened the door, turning his head upon entering. They stayed with their eyes on each other as Clint stammered around for his words.

"I can see you two are just fine. When you two are… clothed, join me in the kitchen," he walked out with a smirk plastered on his face, shaking his head slightly.

Bucky wrapped his arms around her, lifting her feet off the floor and walked them backwards to the bed. "You heard the man. When we're clothed."


	23. Chapter 23

Clint blinked back in disbelief as Kara told him of her vision. The man she described was like some Hydra super soldier that they had yet to encounter. Bucky could see the trepidation on his face, the worry for Kara as she spoke of guns blazing.

"I think it's best I find out who our mystery man might before get caught off guard. Bucky, Laura wants to give you some more fluids before we leave and Kara... you need to get more information out of your father. Jenny is going back to D.C. with him tomorrow. I've arranged for her to get some help with him, but we need her on the inside of SHIELD if we're going to pull this off without raising too much suspicion," Clint pulled on his leather vest and winked at his wife before heading out the back door.

Laura took the bags of I.V.'s she had and asked Bucky to come back in the bedroom. The Barton children stared at him as they walked pass, Cooper most interested in the cybernetic arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Cooper! Go play with Lila," Laura scolded her children, but Bucky just smiled back at him as he squatted down. He waved for Cooper to come closer, watching the small boy look at his mother for approval. "It's okay."

Cooper lifted his hand, letting it get closer to Bucky's metal arm until he was touching it. The scars the jetted out from under the shoulder plate gave the illusion of pain to the small boy. "Does it hurt?"

"No, not any more. Watch..." Bucky lifted his arm, causing the metal plates in his forearm to shift and move. Cooper's eyes went wide with wonder as his mouth made a large O.

"That's cool," Cooper said slowly causing Lila to giggle. "I want one."

"No you don't, son," Bucky answered him before Laura could. He rose up on his feet, leaving the two children gazing back in awe. He turned and walked off towards the bedroom with Laura right behind him.

"Thank you for letting him do that. He's asked me and his father so many questions about you this morning. Clint told him you got hurt in the war and they had to put a new arm on for you. I really hoped you don't mind," Laura went about setting up the IV as Bucky sat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't mind. I wished that's what had happened," his eyes closed for a brief moment as he thought back to the train and Steve as he clung to the side and his best friend reached out with all his might, unable to take his hand.

Kara walked in, helping Laura hang the bags and knelt down in front of her man. "I got to go talk to Dad. You gonna be okay?"

Bucky stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, giving her a sideways smile. "I'm good, sweetheart. Don't worry about me... go get your answers." She gave him a too brief kiss before leaving him in her cousin's very capable hands.

As she closed the door, she could hear Laura ask him about her. "You love her don't you?"

"You can tell?" he answered back, being his usual evasive self.

"When a man looks at a woman the way you look at Kara, it's not hard to tell. It's okay, you know," Laura said with a tint of giddiness to her voice.

"Okay... to what?" Bucky quickly said back to her.

"To fall in love with her. You're already falling, just go ahead and let it happen. She's good for you... and you for her. Those visions of you came to her for a reason. I know she was so young when they started, but I swear... the universe knew she was your one," the doorknob turned and Kara smiled to herself as he headed towards the stairs. Kara felt guilty for eavesdropping on their conversation, but her heart was soaring from hearing it.

She walked up the stairs, hoping her father had the answers that would help free them from this continuing nightmare. Jenny was packing up what few things they had as she came into her room. "Do you think Dad is ready to talk?" Kara said as she handed her a pale blue sweater.

"Won't know 'till you talk to him," Jenny looked over her shoulder at their father as he worked a crossword puzzle from today's paper.

Kara walked over to the chair Ben was sitting in, knelt down and took the newspaper from him. "Daddy... we need to talk."

"I'm almost done, Kara. Just let me finish it. It helps me focus," he reached for the paper and she gave it back to him, watching his eyes dart back and forth. Kara gazed at her father, the way his eyebrows would perk up when he got the answer, the way the tip of his tongue would dart out the corner of his mouth when he was concentrating and the way his face harden when his mind would fail him. After he finished what he could of the crossword, he placed the paper down in his lap and tucked the pen behind his ear. Kara smiled at him, remembering all the times she'd find him working late at his desk on some new building or invention with a pencil tucked like that.

"Kara... my sweet Kara. I'm sorry I couldn't keep this evil from touching you. The secrets of our family have brought us here. What I did, what I help them make will haunt me for the rest of my days, but if I can help you help that young man downstairs, that will ease some of my guilt. You must go where Pierce loved most, the place he called his castle. That's where you'll find the serum," Ben Bennett leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes and letting out a low sigh. Kara reached up, taking his rough hands, holding them both in hers.

"Dad, how do you know this?" Kara squeezed his hands, bringing him back to her. He slowly opened his blue eyes, smiling back at her. The look in his eyes let her know she'd lost him again, the wayward gaze of a man trapped in his own mind stared back at her. She rose up, kissed his forehead and left him to find some solace again.

Her father's words, his castle, rang over and over in her mind. Where would such a place exist? Where might she even begin to look? She knew he lived in D.C., had a house that SHIELD had taken over. If the box was there, it would now be in SHIELD hands. So many things crossed her mind at once, that she hadn't noticed Clint at the bottom of the stairs. He caught her as she stumbled forward, giving her a curious grin.

"What's up, clumsy?" Clint teased her as he corrected them both. Kara looked at him, seeing the grin and blushing.

"Dad said to look for Pierce's castle. Does that ring any bells for you?" Kara shoved her hands in her jean pockets, hoping Clint had some answers. She knew he couldn't reach out to his normal contacts within SHIELD, they couldn't risk it. If they were to find this place, they'd have to do it without the Avengers help.

Clint handed her a piece of paper, a single word scribbled on it. Castle. She looked up at him, her eyebrows narrowing. Clint let out a chuckle, before he told her what he had discovered. "The man you saw is a whisper among the agents I know. Some said he's a myth that Hydra is using to strike fear into SHIELD, others say he's real and dangerous. It's been said, he's as strong as Captain America, quick as Ironman and as deadly as Thor's hammer. Whoever he is, he's a killer. You see him, Kara... you run."

"What about Castle?" she sat down, feeling the fear from her vision cling to her again.

"It's a Hydra training facility. Coastal. Alliance. Southern. Territory. Living. Encampment. Alexander Pierce built an unbreachable facility somewhere on the southern coast. SHIELD just discovered it on Pierce's personal hard drive. Took Nate a while to crack it, but she did. She sort of told me when I was asking her about any news she had on Hydra. I guess it's up to us to find this Castle before SHIELD does. You know... Rogers might get involved since he knew that Pierce was responsible for sending the Winter Soldier after him," Clint gave her one of his brotherly looks that make her roll her eyes.

"We'll just have to risk it. I have to find the serum before Bucky gets even sicker," she looked over her shoulder to the bedroom where Bucky was, hoping she didn't fail him.

Clint went into Hawkeye mode as he loaded up the SUV with supplies and weapons. Kara knew they'd be in good hands, Clint had been on more missions, dealt with more deadly situations than a man with a family should have too. Her real concern was Bucky and how long this fix of Laura's would last. Hopefully the tainted serum would be out of his system now and all she'd have to worry about was the fact he needed the right serum to make him better. As she helped Clint load the car, Jenny gave her a file folder. The sisters locked eyes and Kara could tell what Jenny just gave her might change her world forever. Sitting in the back of the SUV, she flipped the folder open seeing a letter from Alexander Pierce to the researchers in charge of the Winter Soldier Project.

 _The Asset is to be neutralized upon completion of his duties. You will recover any and all tech, weapons and knowledge of this project. The Asset will be used to help us further our agenda of making HYDRA stronger. You have my permission to take whatever measures necessary to see that Dr. Zola's work will be carried on. The remaining serum will be brought to me, for safekeeping._

 _Alexandra Pierce._

Kara shuffled through the file, finding a checklist of items to be recovered, including the cybernetic arm they gave Bucky as well as blood. She closed the flood as bile swam up from his stomach and lurched out her throat. Kara gripped the door as she vomited, her eyes stinging as the truth dawned on her. She looked up at Jenny, who was hovering over her. "They were going to... kill him?"

"Yes. He was created to be Hydra's greatest weapon, but Bucky's memories were too strong, the link to his past unbreakable. No matter how many times they wiped him, he always remembered. I think that link he shared with you was why the mind wipe never really worked. You were a conduit for him, a reset if you will. Pierce thought if they could find a more complacent candidate then the serum may be useful. They made him the fist of Hydra, their dark knight to bathe the world in red," Jenny rubbed her back as the rest of her breakfast came up.

Kara wiped her mouth with the back of hand as her red rimmed eyes gazed up at her sister. "I'm gonna find that serum, cure him and let him rip Hydra apart."

"Just don't get ripped apart yourself, in the process," Jenny took the file from her, tucking it under her arm.

Clint walked over, handing her a bottle of water and a word of advice. "You better get a way thicker skin, Bennett, if you expect to go after Hydra. Things are about to real messy."

She took a big sip of water, nodding her head back at him. "Just worry about yourself, Barton. I got this."

Bucky came out with Laura, the smile on his face quickly fading. He wanted to ask Kara what was going on, but he sensed that was a question better kept for later. Cooper and Lila ran up from behind them, straight into their father's arms. Clint scooped them up, hugging them both and smiling back at his wife. Kara picked her backpack up, tossing it in the back and finished off the bottle of water. Her stomach was still rolling, thinking about how cold and callous Hydra was. She wasn't sure if Bucky knew of Pierce's plan for him, if he knew how close he came to being just another casualty of Hydra.

"I'll take care of Daddy, you take care of him," Jenny hugged her sister, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Kara nodded back at her, not trusting her words to betray her true feelings. After climbing in the SUV, she waited for Bucky to join her. Laura gave him the last of the medication she had and a brief hug. Bucky looked as stiff as a board, making her chuckle. Laura walked up to the passenger side door, handing Kara a travel bag.

"Take care of yourself and them. I hope you don't have to use this medical kit, but just in case... here you go. Last time I let Clint out of my sight, he came back limping," the sweet, teasing smile on Laura's face put Kara in a more amiable mood. Her mother used to tell her, Kara Leigh, one day at a time. That's all we get, so don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come. It was those words she would take with her, and it was those words she'd needed more than ever in the days to come.

~~OO~~

A sunburnt sky loomed out over the horizon as Clint pulled the SUV into some hole in the wall motel. Bucky had been quiet for the past few hours, pondering how to keep Kara safe and still get the serum he needed. No answer came to him that didn't involve him knocking her out and leaving her tied up somewhere. The idea did put a small smile on his face, being able to finally get the upper hand on her for once.

Clint tossed him a look from the rearview mirror as Kara woke from her nap. "Where are we?" she asked after taking at the front of the building. "Great, I go to sleep for thirty minutes and you drive us into Hotel Hell."

"Actually smartass, looks can be deceiving," a chuckle rolled from Clint as Kara glared back at him, sticking out her tongue. Bucky grabbed the bags from the back, pushing them up on his shoulder. Clint directed Kara to go to the clerk's desk and ask for Mr. Colson's suite. She gave him a confused stare, wondering if he someone else would be joining them.

As soon as Kara was out of sight, Clint helped Bucky with the last of the bags, being most impressed with how much weight Bucky had on him. "Laura told me how sick you are, that the serum isn't what made you sick. She said your body is shutting down. You might have a week tops if you don't get that last dose of serum. The doses you received over the years, maintained you, but it was the cryogenic state that sustained you. We need to work fast if we're to keep you from going nuclear.. Kara doesn't need to know this, so let's keep this between us."

"Is she sure? I mean... I'm not exactly normal." Bucky scrambled for the right words to say. He felt his body growing weaker, his metal arm disobeying him at times. He was never stronger than when they first prepped him for the freezer. It had been months since he left that sandy river bank and walked away from everything that Hydra made him to be.

"She was a nurse, an army nurse before she was my wife. Laura could have easily been a doctor, but she fell for some dumb kid that happened to find himself in need of her services. Bucky, I wanted you to know the truth. A man with a ticking bomb inside him has the right to know how much time is left on the clock," Clint started walking up the metal stairs, leaving the conversation there.

They walked until they came to the last door at the end of the corridor. Kara came walking towards them, with a grin and a key in her hand. "Colson... cute."

"What?" Clint shrugged his shoulders, wishing he could have been there to see her face. The night clerk was an old friend of Clint's and the Mr. Colson suite was code for he's in deep shit. The clerk took one look at her and thought Clint had been compromised. He pulled the gun from under the counter, shoving it in her face. Kara stared back with a confused look on her face, trying to remember what Bucky had taught her about disarming an assailant. The clerk demanded to know where Clint was but Kara was too wrapped up in the gun to answer him. Bucky's lessons flashed like a movie in her head, her body moving on automatic. The sound of the clerk screaming for her to let him go broke her from her trance.

"The key please," Kara smiled down at him as she held the gun to his forehead. The clerk raised up his hands, pointing to the peg board behind him. She moved slowly, keeping the gun on him and taking the key marked from RED 1 from the board. "I'm gonna put the gun down so don't try anything."

The clerk crooked his head to look outside, seeing Clint walking toward the stairs. "Tell Barton to come get the key himself next time," he slid off the counter, mumbling under his breath as Kara took the key and left.

Now she stood before Clint with the key and the need to get even with him. She slid the key into the lock, turning it and gaining a surprise. The room was better than she hoped for. A room at a four star hotel wouldn't have looked this nice. Bucky placed the bags on the floor and flopped back on one of the queen size beds. Kara sat down beside him, letting her fingers trace the sharp curve of his jaw and the dimple in his chin. Clint began setting up their makeshift war room, laying out a laptop, untraceable cell phone and a map of the southern coast.

Bucky let out a soft, content moan as Kara kept tracing his jawline back and forth until the sensation had him hard for her. Clint cleared his throat, trying to avert his eyes. "You two aren't alone and this isn't the honeymoon suite. We got work to do if we're going to find the castle.

Kara raised up, taking her bag and tossing it on the other bed. "You can share a bed with him... I'm taking this one." Clint raised his eyebrows, letting his gaze fall on Bucky. They both understood her apprehension, Bucky feeling the brunt of her words the hardest.

Bucky joined Clint on the floor, taking the map and looking for somewhere that Pierce might have hidden a Hydra facility. He looked up at Kara on the bed, flipping through files and papers, her eyes flicking to him. He caught her gaze, holding it for a moment and wishing there wasn't a divide between them. The nightmares that haunted him, the one that cause his hands to wrap around her throat had to be slain. He wanted her back in his arms and he'd face the devil himself to feel her embrace again. Making love to her this morning was just a reminder of how badly he needed her. Their connection crackled in his veins when they touched, pushed his body to a whole different level of existence when he was inside her. The monsters that clawed at his soul didn't own him when she was loving him and he needed that to keep him sane.

Several cups of coffee and four pizzas later, they were still no closer to finding what they need than when they started. Kara let out a frustrated yawn as she stretched her limbs. Bucky folded the map back up and climbed on the bed behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulder, slowly rubbing her, making sure his metal hand didn't rub down too hard. She melted into his touch, letting herself get lost in his ministrations until Clint sprang up from the floor, pumping his fist in the air.

"Yes... gotcha!" Clint picked up the laptop, turning it for Kara and Bucky to look at. There on the screen was a bill of sale of property on Fishers Island sold to one of Pierce's dummy companies. Fishers Island was a small island two miles off the coast of Connecticut. It was a small island, only being nine miles wide and one mile long. There couldn't possibly be a Hydra facility on such a small island. Kara pulled up Google Maps on the laptop, trying to find something that stood out of place. Clint closed the laptop, placed it beside the tv and fell back on the bed.

"Get some sleep. We go fishing for an eight legged menace tomorrow," he tucked his hands behind his head and kicked off his boots. Bucky smiled back at her, giving her a quick kiss. As he rose up from the bed, she pulled him back down, giving him a goodnight kiss that would no doubt keep him awake. Her tongue darted across his parted lips, teasing his mouth as she bit softly into his bottom lip. He didn't want the kiss to end as her lips pulled and tugged at his, dragging a sensual moan from deep in his throat.

"Goodnight, Kar," he whispered as they parted, her fingers unwinding from the back of his hair. She fell back on the bed, full of desire for the man she had grown to love. Bucky took a pillow from Clint's bed, curling up on the floor next to the window. Kara slide in between the sheets, letting her eyes fall on Bucky's figure bathed in the silver light filtering through the blinds. Her heart felt heavy as she laid down and so did his. She wondered if finding the serum would end his nightmares, would bring some peace to his mind.

Clint looked over to her, watching her stare at Bucky on the floor. He rolled over to face her, whispering so low she barely heard him. "He needs love and understanding. You have to be stronger than his fears, be stronger than his demons and be willing to have some sleepless nights if you're going to bridge this gap and face your own fears."

Kara sat up, placing her hands on the side of her head. "Bucky... come here."

He sprang out of the floor, walking over to her and sat down beside her. He placed one hand on her back, the other turning her face to him. "I can't."

She pushed him back down on the bed and curled up to him. "For me, you can."

They lay there for a moment until Clint sat up, shaking his head. "Get a room you two." He rolled over, tossing the cover over his head. Bucky sat up, taking off his shirt and shoes and climbed in the bed. Kara slide in beside him, letting her body curl up to him, breathing him in as she wrapped an arm around his very fit waist. Neither of them were going to get much sleep, but with the future looking so grim, they needed to take every moment they could to just be together.

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	24. Chapter 24

The night had passed without incident, the soft white light of an early morning sun basking her lover in the most beautiful glow. Bucky looked so peaceful, his face relaxed and without torment. He was all hers in those too brief moments, and she drank them in like a parched woman in the desert. Bucky woke, opening one impossibly blue eye and then the other.

"Morning, beautiful," she smiled back at him when Clint came in the room, his cell phone snugged between his ear and his shoulder.

"Morning to you too... gorgeous. We have to go, got to catch the next ferry to Fishers Island," Clint said as he slid the phone in his back pocket, grinning at them as he took a duffle bag out to the SUV. Kara blushed a bright red when she noticed the way she and Bucky all entangled must look.

Bucky laid there taking in the feel of her body curled into his, her legs wrapped in his own. She buried her face into his neck as he stroked her back, his fingers memorizing the feel of her soft skin and the sound of the sigh that fell from her lips. Her nose glided up the inside of his neck, sending hot jolts of want to his groin. The erection that was already there, was now so hard it nearly hurt. "Kara... want to take a shower?"

"Shower?" she looked up through her lashes at him, seeing his deviously sexy smile looking back at her. She let her hand travel from his shoulder, down his hard pecks, across the plains of his absurdly sexy abs, all the way down to the light dusting of hair that lead to the most impressive package her fingers hand ever felt. Bucky rolled his hips as she cupped his balls through his boxers. The growl that roared from his chest tingled her all the way to her core, sending vibrations all the way up her spine.

Kara's lips were on his neck, kissing and sucking his skin in unison with the ministration of her fingers. "Shower... now," Bucky said in a low, husky tone.

Clint walked back in the room, shaking his head. "Oh no, we don't have time for you two to get freaky in the shower. Get up, get dressed and get your asses in the car."

Bucky glared at him, wanting to kick him out and lock the door. Kara rolled her eyes as she jumped out of bed. She was in Clint's face in a second, her mood between pissed and giggling. "You suck, you know that."

"Mission, remember," Clint raised his eyebrows as Bucky sat on the edge of the bed with his hands dug into his hair.

As Clint collected the rest of their things, Kara grabbed some clothes for her and Bucky and tossed their bags at him. "Here ya go... Captain Cockblock."

Bucky began to chuckle, his eyes looking up at her with a twinkle of laughter in them. Clint looked back at him with a small smirk forming on his lips. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not. Once we get that serum, you two can copulate like rabbits."

Kara grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom, cursing at Barton for ruining her nearly perfect morning. Bucky rapped on the door, asking for his toothbrush. She opened the door, with her own toothbrush in her hand. "I really want to punch him right now."

"He's right. We need to concentrate on the mission," he stood beside her, looking at her through the mirror. The frustration etched on her face flashed even more so in her green eyes. He wanted her, but the bruises that lingered on her neck were like a splash of cold water. Last night was nice, a miracle in a way, and he was grateful for it, but he felt deep down in his soul that until he faced his demons she would never be safe from his iron grip.

Kara looked up at him as he began to brush his teeth, seeing something that bordered on heartache in his eyes. There was something about his body language, the way he kept a distance between them as they stood there that let her know he had put up a wall again. "Bucky, don't do this."

"Do what?" he asked as he took the toothbrush out of his mouth. She rinsed her mouth and turned to him. He looked at the mirror and not at her. "Kara, let's concentrate on getting the serum, then we can deal with everything else."

She wanted to argue, wanted to tell him how wrong he was about them, about the guilt he was carrying, but she let it go. Her mother always told her to pick your battles. The war isn't won in a day and every battle isn't worth the cost of losing what you love most. This battle was over, but the war for his heart, his soul would continue until she won. No cost would be too great, no sacrifice too much to make sure the love of her life stayed alive and with her.

They dressed in silence, Kara getting brief glances at his body as he pulled his shirt down. The scars that riddled his body, the cybernetic arm with his marred flesh didn't phase her anymore. Her heart would always ache for this pain, but she was determined to replace all his bad memories with good ones. Bucky pulled on his green army jacket over his red Henley shirt, pulled the blue ball cap snug down over his eyes and reached his hand out for her. She slid on her brown leather coat and tied her hair back in a high pony tail before she took his hand, lacing her fingers in his.

"Are you ready?" Bucky looked at her as she tucked a loose hair behind his ear. She gave him a quick kiss before anwsering him.

"Ready as I'm gonna be. Clint's got point, so we follow his lead." That was more a command than a statement, the tone of her voice a little rough at the end. Bucky wasn't sure if he could follow Barton's lead, but for Kara he'd try.

Clint was waiting at the SUV with his cell phone in his hand, leaning against the driver's door. "You promised me a phone call, Ms. Bennett. Come on Bucky, lets me and you get some grub for the road." Clint placed an arm around Bucky's shoulder as he moved him towards the diner across the road.

Kara looked at the phone, Steve Rogers contact all ready for her to push call. Her nerves got the better of her as her hands began to tremble and her knees became weak. "Okay, we can do this," she climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV, watching Bucky and Clint walk into the small diner. Her thumb pushed the call icon and the phone began to ring. Everything in her was screaming for her to hang up, that Steve would ask too many questions and this would end badly. In her heart she knew it was the right thing to do, to give Steve some comfort.

"Hello," Captain Rogers said into the phone and Kara froze. She knew Clint's phone wasn't traceable but still she couldn't shake the feeling SHIELD would find them. "Hello," Steve said again, the silence on the phone as deafing as a 747 taking off.

"Uh... Steve," she managed to get out with a quiver in her voice.

"Yes. Who is this?" he asked, his voice booming back at her. Kara squared her shoulders and took one more deep breath.

"It's Kara... Kara Bennett," nothing but silence on the other end. Kara wondered if Steve had hung up or if he was trying to trace the call.

"Kara, are you alright? The last I saw of you, I left you with your sister and my tracker. I found a Hydra agent in your sister's apartment with a bullet between her eyes and my tracker on the fire escape. Sam and I have been looking for you, well you and Jenny. She's disappeared too. Tell me where you are and I'll come get you." The protective way Steve was being made her heart hurt even more. She had to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. A deep ache in her chest that felt like someone had kicked her hard was making it difficult to breathe.

"No. Jenny's fine... I'm fine. We're safe, really. Don't worry, we've been staying with family. Jenny's coming back to D.C., she can tell you all about it. Steve... don't worry about Bucky... he's fine too," each word felt like a razor cutting her tongue. She hated all the lies she had told him when all he'd ever done was be honest and true to her.

Steve drew in a deep breath as he let the information sink in. "Is he with you?"

 _Lie Kara, lie and be convincing._ Her inner voice screamed at her, but she couldn't lie to Steve again. "He's safe."

"That's not what I asked you. Is he with you?" Steve was more assertive this time, his jaws clenching hard.

Kara did what she told Clint she would do, he knew Bucky was safe. "Steve, I promise as soon as I can, I'll tell you everything, but right now you just need to know he's alive and safe, of that I"m certain. Like I said, Jenny will can tell you more. I'm... sorry."

Steve was in mid sentence when she hung up and turned the cell phone off. Tears poured down her face, dripping from her chin as she let go of all the pain that had built up. She looked up just in time to see Bucky and Clint walking back with a large bag of food. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, doing her best to tuck her tears away and put on a smile for them. Clint jumped in the driver's seat, while Bucky got in the back behind her. His metal hand came forward with a fresh, hot cinnamon roll in it.

"Got a few more and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar for you too," she looked over her shoulder at him, the pleased smile spread across his face. She took the roll and cup of coffee, hoping today would be a good day.

~~OO~~

Kara was glad to be off the ferry. She had always hated traveling by boat. Sea sickness was a real thing for her and to have Bucky rub her back as she tossed her breakfast over the railing of the ferry was more of an embarrassment than a comfort. Clint chuckled at her again as he pulled the SUV up to the house he had rented.

"You okay there, slugger?" Clint rubbed the back of her head as Kara lurched into the sea sickness bag again.

"Fuck off, Barton," Kara said from the bag as Bucky leaned forward. She wanted to get out of the SUV and into the house where she could lay down. Bucky got out, opened her door and scooped her up in his arms. He walked her to the seaside cottage, straight to the couch by the bay window. She didn't want him to let her go, his arms felt so good tight around her.

"I'll be right back," he kissed her forehead, leaving her there with a stomach churning like the ocean. The medicine Clint had given her on the ferry was starting to kick in, giving her some relief. She let her body relax into the soft leather couch as her eyes slowly closed.

There it was again, the box. Her hand reached out for it, taking it, but instead of opening it to check the contents, she tucked in her backpack and looked for a window in the room. She scooted a desk out of the way, lifting the window and slipping out undetected. She looked both ways before running towards the back fence. Bucky and Clint made their way from the front of the house towards her, Clint took a grenade from his tactical belt while telling them to run. Kara gripped Bucky's hand tight as they ran towards the two motorcycles hidden behind the house. A large explosion shook them, quickly follow by the sound of bullets. Bucky tried to start the bike, the engine refusing to turn over. Clint was running towards them with Hydra agents right behind him. Bucky looked back at her, his eyes looking dull with large dark circles under them. This was it, the end for both of them.

Kara woke, jerking up from the couch and gripping her chest. She tried to scream, tried to yell for Bucky or Clint but no words would come. In a panic, she picked up the vase on the coffee table and smashed it on the floor. Bucky comes barrelling in to find Kara frozen in fear on the couch. He scooped her up in his arms, cradling her to him as she fought to regain control of her body. "Bucky... don't let go."

"Never," he whispered back to her, wishing she wasn't locked in the terrible nightmare with him. "You okay?" Bucky asked as he sat down on the couch, watching her nod her head.

"I keep having a vision about the serum and it keeps changing. But... I either way it doesn't end well for us. Buck, we have to be careful, make a plan," she pulled back from him, sliding off his lap to the couch. He nodded back at her, asking her to tell him the vision. Kara goes through the details of both visions, trying her best to convey how scared shitless they made her feel. Bucky kissed her forehead before he got up to retrieve a pen and notebook. He came back and asked her to right now everything and draw the box, the house and the layout of the area.

"What's up?" Clint strolled in, watching Kara move the pen across the paper. She drew in detail the outside of the house, the area around it and the box with the Hydra symbol carved on top. Clint took the notebook, holding it up to Bucky. "Have you ever seen this place before?"

"Maybe," Bucky quickly answered, but then something struck him as odd. He took the notebook, looking over the drawing of the house. "Kara, did you hear anything besides explosions or gunfire?

Kara shook her head, trying to remember the vision in more detail. She closed her eyes, tossing the images over in her mind. She tried to isolate the sounds, tried to block out the sounds Bucky asked her about. "I don't hear it." Her eyes darted over to Bucky, then to Clint.

"Hear what?" Clint asked as Bucky took the notebook again, smiling back at Kara.

"The ocean. There are no signs of this house being on this island. Finding Castle will lead us to this house, but the serum isn't here," they look at each other and Clint rubbed the back of his head. He grabbed the backpack from the corner of the room and pulled out a laptop. While Clint was busy, Bucky took Kara's hand and led her outside. They walked out to the edge of the property that ended at some of the whitest sand she's ever seen. The waves were calm as they stood there hand in hand with her head on Bucyk's shoulder.

It was like something out of a romance novel as the sun began to set over the ocean, looking like liquid waves of glistening fire. "You need to eat," Bucky wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her.

"So do you," she looked up at him, nearly flinching when she saw the dark circles forming under his eyes with a little red around the rims. Kara swallowed the fear bubbling up inside here, deciding to enjoy the day.

After devouring four large pizzas, Bucky, Kara and Clint gather in the living room to go over the information Clint discovered. "So, from the thermal readouts I received, don't ask Kara... I see that look. There doesn't seem to be anything going on this island that shouldn't. I don't get it, if there's a Hydra facility here on this island there should be some sign of it. I'm at a loss."

"Was he a member of the Yacht Club? If Peirce is involved with the island, he might have a house, a condo or something," Kara took the laptop from Clint to begin a search on Peicre's involvement on Fishers Island. A few moments later and she found a picture of him at a party at the Yacht Club. Clint jotted down the names listed in the description of the picture and headed out to see if he could get some answers.

"You two stay put. If this pans out, we might find Castle before the night is over," Clint grabbed the SUV keys, giving Kara one more stern glance. He knew her natural curiosity would get the better of her and he didn't need her and Bucky off playing spy by themselves.

She hated being cooped up and being told what to do even more. Bucky decided to keep her preoccupied by teaching her how to disassemble and clean a handgun. She found the step by step instructions and the way he was being so patience with her endearing. He tried to hide the smile on his face when she'd get frustrated and shove the gun away.

"Why would Pierce buy property here on the island if the facility isn't here? I don't get it, Buck. Natasha found a file on C.A.S.T.L.E. hidden in an encrypted file on Pierce's personal computer. If it really exists, then where is it?" she picked up and pulled back the slide.

Bucky stared at her as if her words stirred a memory locked away in his mind. She passed her hand in front of his eyes, snapping her fingers a few times. He just sat there, staring at her, locked in a trance. All of sudden, his eyes went wide. "Kara... show me that picture again. The one of Pierce at the Yacht Club."

She flipped open the laptop, pulling up the picture again. Bucky pointed to the photo in the background, right behind Pierce and the Yacht Club president. Her mouth fell open when she realized what it was Bucky had remembered. "Holy shit."

Kara used the landline phone in the rental house to call Clint on his cell phone. He picked up on the first ring, sounding completely exasperated. "Yes, Kara."

"Listen. I know where Castle is," she blurted out quickly. Her mind was racing as she waited for Clint to respond.

"How? Never mind. What did you find out? I went to the Yacht Club but they denied knowing Alexander Pierce. I couldn't even get in the door," Clint let out a heavy sigh, pinching the brim of his nose.

"Just get your ass back here and I'll explain it all," Kara hung up the phone and began a search on the island's marina. Bucky put the handgun back together in record time, making Kara give him a double take. Her fingers flew across the keyboard until she found what she was looking for. Castle wasn't a place, but a thing. It was a tactical living encampment, just a floating one.

When she heard the tires to the SUV screeching outside, she and Bucky ran out and jumped in. Clint pulled out, smiling at the confident look on Kara's face. "Okay genius...spill."

"It was right there all along. Castle is a yacht, a massive one kept in the marine. I couldn't find what dock it's at but it's huge," Kara pulled up the picture on Clint's smartphone, pointing out the picture of the yacht with the word CASTLE wrote on the side.

When they pulled up to the marine, Clint handed Kara a handgun. She took it, placing it in the back of her jeans. Bucky gave her a kiss, holding her face in his hands. "You find it, you don't board it without us."

"What he said," Clint grinned at her as he jogged down the ramp, Bucky going left and Clint going right. Kara walked off towards the marine office, the lamps on the docks coming on. The office was locked, but there was a guard on duty. She walked over to him, hoping her new found skill would work this time.

"Sir... excuse me," she walked over to him, the guard turning towards her with his hand on his sidearm.

"Miss, can I help you?" he stood there, eyeing Kara over as she sauntered up to him.

"My uncle said I could use his yacht, but I forgot to get the keys. Could you please help me?" she twisted her pony tail around her finger while giving him a shy smile.

"Name?" the guard walked over to the office door, pulling out a set of keys.

Kara let out a quick breath before continuing with her ruse. "Pierce."

Just as the key had entered the lock, the guard stopped and pulled his gun from his holder. She held up her hands, staring down the barrel of the revolver. "Move it," the guard motioned her to move back away from the office door when she noticed Bucky walking up behind her.

She began to lower her hand when the guard yelled at her to stop. Bucky's metal arm swung left and the guard fell to the dock, possibly dead. "Can't leave you alone for a second," he said as he pulled her into his arms. Her heart was pounding as she wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood there for a brief moment when they saw four men all dressed in black coming running towards them.

Kara saw the key still in the office door lock, so she took Bucky's hand and pulled him to the door. She flipped the key over, pulled it out and quickly close it. Bucky locked the door back before he and Kara hide by some filing cabinets. The four men ran by, one of them shining a flashlight through the door.

"Anything," someone yelled at the man at the door, his hand twisting to check the lock.

"We have intruders. Get to Castle," the man yelled back and Kara knew not only had they found Castle, but they were neck deep in Hydra agents.

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	25. Chapter 25

The seconds tick by, the clock on the wall standing as a reminder that every moment they were hiding, Clint was in danger. Kara looked up at Bucky, their bodies pressed firmly together. She watched as his eyes scanned the room, his right hand squeezing the hilt of the his gun. He was calculating a plan, a way to get them out of here and on the Castle.

One of the Hydra soldiers yelled at another as Bucky pulled Kara towards the door. He had showed her how to use a gun and she was good at taking down an assailant by hand, so he had to trust they'd get out of this and quickly.

"Stay on my six," he ordered her as he pulled back the slide to the gun and unlocked the door. As they exited, one of the soldiers was checking on the man Bucky had punched out. Kara kept an eye out from behind as Bucky made his way swiftly to the unsuspecting soldier. With one punch, the man was flat on the dock, blood seeping from his mouth. Kara had grown numb to blood and death a long time ago, but seeing him injury or kill now was different. There was no careless, cold, emptiness to his movements, he acted out of purpose and honor and that was one more reason Kara had to love him.

Gunfire off in the distance caused Bucky to whip his head around. He took what weapons the soldier had and pulled him and the guard into the office. "Buck... what if they've found Clint?"

He brushed his hand over her neck and down her shoulder. "Clint can handle himself, but we need to get on that yacht."

Kara raced after Bucky, his legs pushing him faster than she was able to keep up with. He was like a blur against the darkness that surround them, just the glint of silver from his arm as they ran down one dock and onto another. Her lungs burned as did her muscles, but she couldn't stop. Bucky got a glimpse of Clint as he jumped from one boat to the next with two men in black on his ass. Bucky stopped, widen his stance, aimed his gun and just like that, took out the man in the back. A splash in the water was all that was heard before Bucky fired his gun again. Kara finally caught up to him, seeing Clint raced towards a slip all by itself. She turned directions when a tall, large man darted out in front of her.

"Where you going, princess?" the man smiled at her, his mustache curling up with his lip.

Kara raised her gun only to have him kick it out of her hand and grab her by her face. As he lifted up feet up off the dock, she kicked him hard in the balls, sending them both crashing down. Kara took out the knife Clint had given her, gripping it tightly as she ran up the ramp and away from the man that was now shooting at her.

"Kara!" she could hear Bucky shouting at her, but she was already in the marine parking lot, heading towards the SUV. The man wasn't far behind her and all she could think about was leading him away so Clint could get on the yacht and hopefully find the serum or its location.

She knew Clint had another bag of SHIELD tech in the SUV, so she opened the back door, climbed inside and into the back. The man outside taunted her, told her all the discussing things he was going to do to her once he found her. She quickly opened the duffle, finding more grenades and what looked like taser discs. Kara took a few of each and slowly rose up to peek out the back glass. As soon as her head raised up, a hand crashed through the back glass and gripped her throat, pulling her out kicking.

She dropped the grenades as she was pulled across the broken glass, the jagged edges ripping into the flesh of her back and legs.

"Looks like I get to have some fun," the man snarled out as he pinned her to the SUV. His mouth was on her neck, his hands gripping her wrists. She wiggled her hand just enough to get one of the taser discs on his arm. He stopped, looked down at the disc, but before he could remove it, she pushed hard against it, sending enough volts to paralyze a horse through is body.

"Have fun," she smirked as the man writhed on the pavement. Blood was starting to run down her legs and pool in her shoes. She wasn't sure how badly she was hurt, but she could tell it was bad enough. Kara started walking towards the ramp when she saw Bucky, his eyes wide with worry and his jaws clenched tight.

"What happened?" he asked as she walked to him, leaning her body into his.

"I kicked some ass," she giggled out as the blood loss started to take effect. Bucky picked her up and ran them both out to the slip she saw Clint at last. Her blood was staining his jacket, his hands, but she wasn't worried. If they found the serum, then it was all worth it.

Bucky got to the yacht, the massive vessel more like a small cruise ship. He stepped on the back, gripping the railing and holding to Kara as best he could. Clint came around the corner, his bow drawn back. "Shit... what happened?"

"Doesn't matter, she needs help," Bucky placed her down on one of the plush white couches in the lower lever. Clint raced up the silver, spiral stair as Bucky took off his jacket, then his shirt and held them to the two long wounds in the back of her legs. He cursed himself for letting her get out of his sight, for running too fast and leaving her behind. This was on him and if she died... no, he wasn't going to allow that thought to take root in his mind.

"They have a medical room up on the third deck. Come on, we need to get her up there," Clint tossed Bucky a roll of white bandage and he applied it to her legs as she grimaced at the pain. Her calves burned, like hot pokers being pushed through her flesh. Bucky was as gentle as he could be, but the wounds were open and deep. He scooped her up again, carried up the stairs and into the medical room, all the while hoping Clint had enough medical knowledge to get her stable.

"Kara, I don't know if they have anesthetic, but I have to close up these wounds. I'm sorry," Clint stroked the back of her head as he spoke to her, Bucky's bloodied hand holding to hers.

"It's okay... just do it," she said as she gripped Bucky's hand even tighter. Bucky kissed her temple, his eyes locked onto hers. "I'm sorry... I really fucked up again... didn't I?"

"No. You did good," Bucky gave her a half smile as the suture needle pierced her skin. "Go on, scream, cry, yell if you have to. I'm here."

Kara nearly bit her bottom lip into as the needle passed through her skin, over and over. The antiseptic Clint was pouring into the wounds only added to her agony. Bucky wanted to tell Clint to stop, but he knew she had to endure this pain to save her life. When Clint finished with her right leg and started in on the lesser injury to her left, she felt something close to numbness sweep over her. Bucky saw her fading, his heart hammering inside his chest. "Clint!"

That was the last thing she heard as the numbness blanketed her, wrapped her up and closed her eyes to cool darkness it provided. She woke to the sounds of the ocean and the seagulls cawing outside. Pain was the next thing to greet her as she tried to sit up, her lower back and legs burning. She looked around and saw the features from the house Clint had rented. She wondered if they managed to get the intel they needed from the yacht or if she had fucked that up for them.

"Bucky... she's awake," Clint beamed a wide smile back at her as he pointed to the nightstand. There, waiting for her was a bottle of painkillers and a glass of water. "Take them and don't argue with me."

She did as she was told, feeling her stomach arguing for food instead. Bucky tore into the room like he was being chased. "Don't you ever do that to me again." He sat on the bed, taking her face in his hands and kissing her so softly it left her wanting more. Clint grinned back as he left, going off to give them some privacy and bring her back some food.

"I'm sorry," she slowly uttered out, making him smile back at her. He kissed her again, this time harder and with less reserve. "What did you find?"

"An oak box like in your vision," Bucky had his forehead against hers as he breathed her in. He knew she'd want all the details and he was ready to give them to her, she'd earned them. "There was a vial of some clear liquid in it. Clint thinks it's the catalyst for the other vial I need. There's more. The other vial is locked away in his vault... under his house, in D.C."

Kara pulled back from him, stroking his scruffy cheek while she studied his face. The deep lines in his forehead, the pale tint to his cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes, they were all signs he was getting weaker. "Are you taking the medicine Laura gave you?"

"Stop it. Don't worry about me. Yes, I am, so stop it. We both know with my increased metabolism, my body is burning through that medicine. The tainted serum has already left my system and my body needs my serum to maintain this... thing they did to me," Bucky turned from her, not wanting her to see the doubt deep in his eyes. He did doubt they'd find the serum before his body just burned out.

Before Kara could argue with him, Clint came back in with a tray full of food and ordered her to eat. She stuffed oatmeal and fresh berries in her mouth as they told her about the yacht and the office Pierce had some top secret stuff hidden in. It was a Hydra base, one that was easily moved from coast to coast. They took some files and the box, including the combination to the vault in Pierce's house.

"When do we leave for D.C.?" she asked only to get two very stern looks back. "What?" she said back with cheeks full of food.

"You're going to stay with Jenny and help her take care of your dad. Your legs need to heal and you need to rest. Don't start Kara... don't," Bucky shook his head as he rose up off the bed. She lowered her eyes in defeat, knowing she wouldn't be any use to them until she was better.

"Okay, but you keep in constant contact with me. I mean it... both of you," Clint gave her a salute and a smile, winking at her as he walked out of the room with Bucky.

This changed her vision completely. If she wasn't there then maybe things would go differently, or possibly worse. She hated that not knowing, hated that she was at the mercy of her visions. The uncertainty of it all unsettled her to the point of tears. Kara finished her breakfast and did her best to make it to the bathroom without calling for Bucky. Her stitches began to protest, causing her ginger temper to flare. "Fuck it!" she screamed as she slumped down the wall and onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" Bucky looked down at her as she narrowed her green eyes back at him.

"Trying to take a piss and failing miserably," her frown turned into a grin, then a full out giggle. Bucky helped her up and into the bathroom. "Are we heading back to D.C. today?"

"Yeah, Clint's packing the car. He said we'd have to be careful on the ferry. Hydra will be on the lookout for us. He went back this morning to disable the security system at the marine and took the security footage from last night," he peeked his head around, making sure she was alright.

Kara rolled her eyes at him as she reached for her jeans and t-shirt resting on the sink. "Clint's good, that's why he's an Avenger." Bucky grinned at her as she struggled with the jeans over her bandaged legs.

"You want some help?" he asked, but she refused. "Stubborn as ever, my ginger snap."

"Ginger snap... I sort of like that," she gave him a big smile as he walked in to help her stand. "Damn, I'm tired already. Just get me to the SUV and get me the hell out of her. Really shouldn't be in such a hurry. Jenny is going to tear me a new one and you're gonna leave me."

Bucky pulled her into his arms, resting his hand on the back of her head. With his lips resting against her ear, he whispered his love to her. "Even when I'm not by your side, Kara, I'm with you. Just like you're always with me." She melted into his embrace, letting go of any apprehensions she may of had.

~~OO~~

The ferry ride was better the second time around. It might have been due to the fact she was a little out of it because of the painkillers. They were halfway back to D.C. and Clint had already informed Jenny on what happened on Fishers Island. The yelling that followed her name could only mean her litter sister would be seething and ready to rip her head off when she got there. Bucky rode in the back with her, her legs up in his lap. He barely took his eyes off her as they made the long trip there. She was afraid to take her eyes off of him, afraid he'd vanished and she'd never see him again.

It was just after noon when they pulled up to the townhouse Clint had rented for Jenny. It was in a small neighborhood, close to the local school. The brown and yellow house had two other townhouses attached, the neighbors being a psychiatric nurse that was looking in on Ben and a school teacher. The only other houses were across the road and another just around the bend. Tall trees lined the property and along the sidewalk. The grass was this impossible emerald, that stretched from front to back.

Kara took one look and chuckled at Clint. "This place looks like it belongs in a Hallmark movie," she teased at him, but deep down she really liked it.

"You might say, SHIELD owns it. Before you two get your knickers in a knot, it's Nat's place. I told her Jenny needed a place to stay. Jenny worked with Nat in the computer task force so they're friendly. I told her that she had to give up her place because her sick uncle was staying with her. Nat is neck deep in stuff for Fury, so she won't come snooping around and besides, if it's for me she never questions," Clint gave them a trust me smile and Kara looked over at Bucky.

As soon the SUV came to a stop Jenny was running out. She opened the passenger door and glared at Bucky. "I blame you for this."

Kara pushed her sister back, narrowing her eyes. "Don't start your shit Jenny. I got myself in this mess. Bucky saved me so you should be thanking him." Jenny's face dropped, but her eyes still blazed at Bucky. He did blame himself and if he could, he'd lock Kara away so she'd never get hurt again.

"What's the plan?" Jenny asked Clint as Bucky helped Kara out of the SUV. Clint looked at her, then up and down the street.

"We're gonna lay low here for a few days. We can't go straight for the serum yet. I need to throw them off, so I have to make it look like SHIELD attacked that yacht but came up empty. That's where you come in. I need your expertise at hacking to get me into the mainframe so I can put a false report out there. Hydra has been found out, but not all of their moles have been rooted out. It's going to be a long night for the two of us," Jenny liked playing spy, liked being in the mix of things and Kara hated it. It was bad enough she had to worry about her cousin's husband and the man she loved, she now had to worry about her sister.

"Clint?" Kara called Clint over to her, trying to wiggle out of Bucky's arms, but he wasn't having it. She gave up and allowed him to carry her into the house.

"What is, Kara?" Clint was loaded down with bags as he walked behind them, needing desperately to get inside so he could contact Laura.

"Is it safe to wait that long?" she was trying to convey that Bucky might not have a few more days, but Bucky disagreed quickly.

"Kara... I'm fine. I think I'll make it a few more days and Clint's right, we need to have a plan," he kissed the top of her head as he placed her down on the couch. Ben walked in looking at her as if he didn't know her. Jenny took his hand, led him back into the downstairs bedroom and closed the door.

Bucky and Clint huddled up in the kitchen, trying to come up with a plan to get the serum out of the vault, while she sat there like a useless stump. Everyone seemed to have a purpose, a reason to be here but Kara. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the armrest, trying to trigger her visions to work. Then she saw it, a bright white light, shining right at her. She focused on the light, on what was behind it and where it was coming from. Then she heard the gentle hum of something in the distance. The harder she focused the less she was able to see, until she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Kara... "

The voice was masculine, but soft. It made her feel comfortable, as if she were safe and secure. With all she could muster, she focused her mind until the image came into view. It was Steve Rogers, smiling back at her with tears flowing down his perfect face. Blood stained the front of his shirt and hands. She reached for him, fear clouding her mind until she lost the image. "Steve!" she shouted out, causing Clint and Bucky to run to her. She looked up at them, quickly sitting up. "Sorry... just a bad dream."

"Bad dream or vision?" Clint asked as he sat down beside her with Bucky sitting on the armrest.

"I know the difference, Clint. It was a dream, not a vision," she smiled back at him, doing her best to look convincing. They stayed with her a few more moments until they were both satisfied she was alright. The vision shook Kara, it was the first one she'd ever had that wasn't about Bucky. All her previous vision had included him, been about him or through his eyes. Bucky took her hand, kissing the back of it, those blue eyes searching her green ones for the truth. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch, proclaiming she was very tired. She knew Bucky saw right through her, but until she was sure what that vision was about, she couldn't tell him. First thing tomorrow, she planned on making Jenny check in on Steve.

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 **Thank you for reading and all your support**


	26. Chapter 26

Being waited on hand and foot wasn't so bad, but Kara had always been an independent woman. Letting other's do for her didn't come easy and having her sister give her boyfriend nasty looks wasn't helping with her current mood. Bucky wasn't going to leave her side and Jenny wasn't going to let her have one moment alone with him.

"Stop hovering, mom. Seriously, Jenny... Bucky can help me to the bathroom," the drawn, narrowed eyes that looked back at her reminded her of her mother. Jenny looked more like their mother than she did, their father's features more dominate with Kara.

"I'm not hovering, but I can take a hint. If you don't want my help... your sister's help, then I'll go," Jenny was the queen of being blunt and Kara felt guilty for being so offish with her. She took her hand and pulled her down on the bed beside her. Bucky could tell Kara wanted to talk to Jenny, so he gave his girl a kiss and went off to find Clint.

"I need a favor," Kara said as soon as Bucky was out of the room.

Jenny lifted her eyebrows, pursing her lips together. "Hmm uh."

Kara cocked her head slightly, giving her sister the same look back. "I'm serious."

"Okay, what is it?" Jenny scooted back in the bed, resting against the headboard as she crossed her feet over at her ankles.

"Go see Steve Rogers for me tomorrow. I want to make sure he's okay. I told him you were moving back, so he'll look you up if you don't go to him," Kara didn't look at Jenny. She was sure the glare she was getting right now was hard enough to crush rock.

"You did what? Kara... no one can't know about dad. Even Clint lied to Nat about Dad being my uncle. If the powers that be find out, they take him away to get information out of him. Do you ever use that brain of yours?" Jenny jumped off the bed, pacing back and forth as she waved her hands about.

Kara let her ramble on, let Jenny give her a good chewing about being responsible, about not getting herself hurt or killed and about getting too involved with Bucky. That topic was off the table for Kara and she let Jenny know it. "Whoa! No. You don't get to lecture me about Bucky... ever. I know him, better than you could ever presume to. I know you're upset I got hurt and could have gotten killed, but you can't tell me not to be with him."

Kara swung her feet off the bed, gripping the headboard for leverage to push up. Jenny placed her hands on her shoulders, pushing her back down on the bed. "I know you two have some connection, but you aren't a spy, an agent, a..."

"A killer? No, and neither is Bucky, not anymore. He saved you when Hydra took you, saved Dad. I think you own him that much, don't you? Will you or won't you go talk to Steve?" Kara crossed her arms over her chest, proving just how stubborn she could be.

This was another Bennett sister's standoff, one that looked to have no end in sight. The girls just sat there looking at each other until their father walked in the room. "Kara. Jenny. You're not children anymore. Work it out."

Kara started to laugh, her head tilting back as Jenny burst out as well. "He doesn't say two words all evening and now he's giving us fatherly advice."

"He's right. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to get hurt. Bucky is, volatile. I don't want you becoming collateral damage is all," Jenny hugged Kara, being careful not to squeeze her too hard.

"So you'll go see Steve?" Kara took Jenny's hand, looking for some affirmation she'd do it. Jenny twitched her mouth sideways, pondering on the question at hand. Kara stared back at her, the vision of Steve on repeat in her mind. "Jenny?"

"Steve's not stupid. He's going to be curious about you, especially after your phone call. I've got an idea; you go with me. We'll meet at that café you like, the one across from the gym. Don't worry about your legs or those bruises, I'm good with makeup," Jenny gave her sister a smug smile before she hugged her again and left. Bucky was waiting on the other side of the door, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he narrowed them.

Kara felt the heat of his gaze, but he didn't say a word to her. There was no doubt Bucky heard their conversation and worried about Steve finding them. He sat on the bed beside, wrapping an arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. Clint rapped on the bedroom door, slowly opening it. "You two decent?" he asked with a chuckle.

"For now," Bucky answered back, making Kara giggle. Clint gave him a surprised glance, liking this sassy side of Sergeant Barnes.

"Since you are dead set on seeing Rogers tomorrow, Bucky and I are gonna have to lay low, I mean real low. I have someone on the inside working on getting us into Pierce's house, but it's gonna take a few days. We can set up in the basement for now, we're on lockdown until I get the info. Kara, you need to invite Steve over here. He needs to think everything here is normal. We'll come up with a cover story for your injuries and you follow Jenny's lead, she's the trained agent," Clint motioned for Bucky to follow him, the two of them needing to talk over the plan.

This predicament they'd found themselves in was changing from day to day. Kara hated having the answers, the intel there in her visions, but the closer they got to solving the riddle, the closer they got to Hydra. The danger was real, she had the stitches to prove it. After Bucky left to go play spy with Clint, Jenny came in. The look on her face was that of a worried parent. She had a notebook and pen in her hand, tapping the pen against her chin. Kara settled in the bed, feeling this was going to be a long night. Coming up with believable lies weren't that hard and it sort of unsettled her. Until Bucky, she'd never had to lie. Well, the occasional white lie, ones that saved a person's feelings, but now she found she could look at a person, let a lie roll off her tongue and not even bat a lash. The night was starting to get late and Bucky hadn't come back up to join her. She pushed her dinner plate from her lap as Jenny drilled her again about their cover.

"How did you cut your legs?" Jenny asked her for the hundredth time.

"I wrecked my car. You found me and pulled me out before the car caught on fire. Really? Jenny, he can check and find out I wasn't in a car accident," Kara rolled her eyes, running her hand down her face.

"Computer whiz, remember? I got this, besides a cover story will only work if there's some truth in it. You did cut your legs on a car window. Okay, go over your notes and get some rest," Jenny took the dinner plate, placing the notebook in its place. Kara opened her mouth to ask where Bucky was when her sister answered her. "Bucky won't be coming back up. Clint has them on lock down so you might as well get some sleep."

Sliding down in the bed, Kara hugged the pillow Bucky had used, doing her best to fall asleep. Her legs ached on and off, her heart yearning for the touch she had grown accustom to. The clock on the wall seemed to taunt her, clicking away each second as if it held a secret she wasn't allowed to know. She sat up, tossed her pillow at it and smiled when it fell from the wall. Kara claimed that as a small victory as she finally closed her eyes and found the sleep that had eluded her.

~~OO~~

The house looked immaculate as Kara hobbled into the dining room to join her sister. Their father was tucked away in the back bedroom while Jenny put the finishing touches on their lunch. Clint had been true to his word and kept Bucky and himself on lockdown. They didn't show up for breakfast and Clint didn't allow anyone down in the basement. The feeling that this was going to be her life soon, clung to Kara like a second skin. Bucky had a price on his head, one that marked everyone around him. She understood the danger in loving a man like Bucky Barnes, but it was a price she was willing to pay. Her thoughts ramble in her head until she gets a headache. Jenny eyes scan over her face, her own brown creasing.

"Kar, you don't have to do this. I don't understand why we have to keep Captain Rogers out of this. Bucky is his best friend and his turning over every rock from here to the Nile looking for him. What's the worst that can happen from telling him?" Jenny smiled at her sister as she places the finger sandwiches on the table.

Kara adjusted the skirt around her legs, scooting forward as her face got closer to her sisters. "Bucky doesn't want Steve involved. I know it's seems stupid to you, but Bucky has his reasons. If I knew people were out to kill me, I would keep you far away from me. Before you jump on your high horse and say something about Bucky putting us in harm's way, I'm here because there's no way in hell I'm letting him go. Bucky would leave me out of this if he could, he loves me, but thanks to the family gift, I'm linked to him. So…" Kara gave her sister a smug grin, feeling pleased and validated.

"You're right," Jenny said, making Kara's mouth fall open. Jenny placed her hand under her chin, closing her mouth as she chuckled. The doorbell ringing ended their jovial moment, causing both of them to stiffen up. Her fingers tapped nervously on the table as Jenny escorted Steve towards the dining room. He smiled back at her, that charming, illuminating smile that made the room instantly brighter. Jenny sat beside Kara, leaving Steve to sit across from them. He placed his hands on the table, his blue eyes cutting into her as if he knew her secret.

"Good to see you, Kara. I was worried about you, after your phone call. I'd appreciate anything you can tell me about Bucky. I've been so close to finding him, but just not close enough," Steve leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kara smiled half-heartedly back at him, taking a sip of her tea. Jenny offered him a sandwich, which he declined. The room was quiet for a moment, until Kara found her voice again. "I've been close too. I can see his future, see his present, feel what he's feeling, but he's always one step ahead of me."

"Is that how you got hurt? You've been careful not to move your legs much and you winced twice when you did. Kara, this isn't for the untrained. Let me and Sam handle this and when I find Bucky, I promise to tell you. I know you said he was safe. Was that a vision?" Steve leaned forward, letting his hand take hers.

"Yes. I've been getting them a lot lately. I thought I could find him, help him, but all I found was trouble. Hydra is looking for him; you're looking for him… the government wants to cage him. I promise to leave this to professionals, if you promise me you won't let them hurt him," Kara felt the back of her throat burn, her tears clinging to her eyes. Steve gave her hand a squeeze, nodding his head.

"I promise. You stay safe and Kara… don't leave Jenny's side. There are people that will use you to get to him, it's not safe for you either. I'll try to look in on you when I can, but you need to be careful. Jenny, with SHIELD being dissolved, I'm afraid you're out of a job. I've talked to Maria Hill and she said with your skills she could use your expertise. Stark has an office here in D.C. and if you want the job, you start tomorrow. Kara... I'll check on a job for you too," Steve released her hand, stood up and walked over to her. He squatted down, taking her hand again. Kara could feel the guilt of lying to him, of keeping this monumental secret weighing down on her so hard she couldn't help but let her tears flow. Steve took her tears as her being afraid and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, letting her cheek rest on his strong shoulder. Steve gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, stroking the back of her head as he rose.

"I will," Kara choked out as he stood up. Steve looked back at Kara with concern covering his face as Jenny walked him out, the two of them having a short discussion at the front door. Kara slowly rose to her feet, the stitches on her legs stinging as she made her way towards them. "Steve… wait."

He turned to her, his smile beaming across his handsome face. There was a trust in his blue eyes, a trust she was about to earn. "I've fallen for him. I can't explain it, but I love him." Steve's hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her softly.

"That's understandable, to know Bucky is to love him. You've seen his past, haven't you? The man that was before Hydra took him from me. I have no doubt you're in tune with him, feel what he feels, see what he sees and now you know, Bucky is worth fighting for. Tell me something, does that connection go both ways? Can you sense if he feels you too?" Steve stared back at her, his hand now holding hers.

Kara took a deep breath, hoping she could do this without betraying the man she loves. "I think so. I don't understand why we're linked, but I'm glad we are. I was scared at first, but as I got older, I saw beyond the gore. Bucky's just as much a victim as the people Hydra had him kill. He's no more than a weapon. You wouldn't blame a gun for killing a person… you'd blame the person using it. Hydra used him, turned him into their killing machine. I know… I feel deep inside him, he desperately wants his life back, but he doesn't want those he cares for to get hurt."

Steve pulled her in his arms, his embrace nearly crushing her. "Thank you."

"For what?" Kara pulled back from him, letting her arms hang around his neck. Steve gave her a full blown smile, his eyes sparkling back at her. She could see the young boy that Bucky was so fond of staring back at her.

"For telling me my Bucky still exists," he gave her a kiss on the cheek as Jenny opened the front door. Steve cupped the back of her Kara's head as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Thank you for loving him, he's going to need that love when I get him home."

She couldn't speak, no words come from her lips. Steve's hand slipped from hers and she watched him go, leaving her with this need to run to Bucky and hold him until her arms were sore. Kara gripped the wall, using it to help her move quickly towards the basement. Jenny stopped her before she could knock on the door. "Clint said not to go down there."

"Clint can kiss my ass. Don't you have a new job to get ready for?" Kara said with a snarky tone. Jenny rolled her eyes, tossing her hands up in defeat. Kara banged on the door, has hard as her small fist could bang. Clint tossed open the door with a look of frustration lining his forehead. As soon as he saw Kara, his attitude quickly changed. Her tears trickled down her face as her chin and bottom lip trembled.

"Bucky!" Clint called down the stairs and Bucky ran up them swiftly. He pushed Clint out of the way, taking his girl in his arms. She hugged him back with all the strength she had. "I… can't… lie… to… him."

"I'm sorry you had to do that, sweetheart. When I'm free from this death sentence hanging over my head, we can tell him the truth… together," Bucky took her in his arms, carrying her down the stairs and into the safe house Clint had made for them. She lay on the sleeper sofa with him until her tears dried and her heart wasn't so raw.

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 **Thanks for all the support. I truly appreciate you following and reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

The room was void of all light and sound. The darkness that surrounded Kara draped every corner of the room, consuming everything. She rose up in the sleeper sofa, feeling around the side table for the lamp. Her eyes blinked several times as the illumination from the too bright bulb assaulted her senses.

"Bucky," she called out, getting the small echo of her voice in return. Tossing her legs over the side of the bed, she looked around the basement stronghold to find no trace of either Bucky or Clint. The weapons that had been on the table were gone as well as any trace they were ever there.

Panic rose from her chest to her throat, gripping her hard as she scrambled from the bed to the door. She made a mad dash up the stairs, quickly unlocked the four locks and threw the door open. "Bucky... Clint!" she shouted out as entered the hallway.

"Kar... be quiet," Jenny came out of the kitchen, looking at her with her index finger to her lips.

"Where are they?" Kara asked as she took a deep breath.

"Gone," Jenny reached out for her, but Kara moved around her, looking in every room for them. Her legs were aching, burning, the stitches bulging as her adrenaline pushed her forward. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop and sit down," Jenny grabbed her arm, shoving her down on a chaise.

"They left... on the mission?" Kara could feel her forehead scrunch up as the reality settled over her that Bucky had left without so much as a goodbye.

"Yeah. Clint's source called around midnight. Bucky didn't have the heart to wake you and I'm glad he didn't. You would have tried to go with him or follow him. Don't look at me like you wouldn't Kara," Jenny sat beside her, placing a comforting arm around her.

"What time is it? How long have they been gone?" Kara looked frantically for a clock, seeing it was well past noon on the grandfather clock next to her.

"They're fine, so stop your worrying. You know how these things go. Clint will want to wait until the right time to go in. Twelve hours isn't that long," Jenny patted her sister's arm, giving her a reassuring smile.

Jenny's soft words and gentle smile did little to calm Kara's nerves. The vision of them going into Pierce's house was still fresh in her mind, causing her stomach to cramp up. "I have to know for sure."

"Come on. If It brings you peace of mind, I'll do this... just once. What I'm about to do could very well get me in a lot of trouble, but then again, harboring public enemy number one won't win me any favors either," Jenny took Kara's hand, leading her into the bedroom down the hall. Their father sat in the window seat, working another crossword puzzle as Jenny took out her laptop and pulled up a map. She was using technology from her days at SHIELD and had hacked into the government database.

"Those two little dots, those are Clint and Bucky. They have a tracker on them, upon my request. I knew you'd stress the fuck out, so I took precautions for the both of us. Clint thought it was a good idea as well… just in case," Jenny placed the laptop beside Kara as she took out her cell phone to call Maria about her new job.

"Just in case, what? One or both of them are taken. No, I can't… I won't think like that, but that was a smart move," Kara picked up the laptop as her eyes locked on the two dots glowing back at her.

Kara sat there with her father, until Jenny returned with some lunch. Her stomach was still in knots, but she knew she had to eat. Taking small bites of the ham and cheese sandwich, she watched as the dots moved up to the back street that lead to Pierce's private residents. There had to be a way other than this to know for certain Bucky and Clint were safe. She closed her eyes, taking a deep cleansing breath and concentrated on nothing but Bucky.

It was as if she were looking through Bucky's eyes, the image as clear as if she were looking at the surroundings herself. Bucky checked his weapon before looking over at Clint. There was a strange tingling in her head that traveled down her body. Bucky smiled, feeling the connection between them. "Barton, you ready?"

"You take the back entrance and I'll take the hidden entrance by the garage. Barnes, keep in constant contact with me... understood?" Bucky nodded his head and checked his earpiece again.

With the gun raised, he walked towards the back of the house, finding the alarm system Clint told him to disarm. The government agents that were guarding the house would be back around in ten minutes, so he had to do this quick. With his metal hand, he pried the security panel loose, found the red and white wires and snipped them. He shut the panel door, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over him. He knew it wasn't his anxiety, but Kara's. She was linked with him and it was that bond that pounded in his blood now. An audible beating of her pulse rang in his ears as he moved towards the back door. The guards were coming back as he picked the lock, easing himself inside.

"Barton, I'm in," he spoke into the communication wristlet. Clint answered him back, confirming he was inside the residents as well. They made their way to the room Clint was sure held the safe Kara saw in her visions. Bucky ducked low as he passed by the windows, nearly crouching when one of the guards stopped to look in. Clint made it to him, the two men doing a belly crawl into the home office.

"Keep guard while I crack this nut," Clint grinned, looking the room over for more hidden sensors. After a brief inspection, Clint proceeded to the wall behind the desk, pulling a painting of a very smug Alexander Pierce back from the wall. He was a little puzzled to not find the safe he was expecting. Just when he was sure there was nothing there, he saw a tiny metal button on the back of the painting. As he pushed it, a small section on the wall snapped open, showing a hidden safe. "Bastard was good at espionage."

"Clint," Bucky walked towards him, stalling Clint's movements. Clint looked at the red beam resting at the base of the safe.

"Well, that's unfortunate, but not a problem," Bucky watched as Clint took a small mirror out of his backpack, using some glue strips to place it between the beam and the contact point. With the beam reflected from the safe, he went about opening it. Within seconds the safe swung open, divulging the contents inside. "What the fuck?" Clint stared back at the empty safe, wondering if the government cronies had emptied it out.

Bucky felt his heart sink as well as Kara's. This was his chance to have his life back and that chance was trickling away like sand through his fingers. "I thought... but Kara saw it here."

A loud explosion rocked the house, sending the two trained soldiers into a battle stance. Bucky ran to the window, seeing two guards on the ground, one with his head at an odd angle. Clint waved for him to follow him out the garage exit as another explosion sent debris flying at them. Bucky grabbed Clint by the straps of his backpack, tossing them both behind a thick cherry oak table.

"I know you're in here," the voice called out to them and Clint peeked up to get a look. Standing at the large gaping hole in the living room wall was the man from Kara's vision. Bucky looked like twelve miles of bad road, his face was pale, his brow sweat soaked and Clint wasn't sure he could win a battle with a formidable foe. All this excursion was taking a toll on his already taxed body and a fight with big, bad and ugly wasn't going to help.

"Barnes... I'll cover you... you get out of here," Clint raised up, letting his arrows fly. Bucky wasn't one to tuck tail and run so instead of running for the door, he ran straight for the crossbone clad man. Kara's entire body tensed as she watched the fight unfold. She felt every blow Bucky dealt and ever blow the assailant delivered. Blood began to trickle from Bucky's lip, dripped from a cut over his eye as Clint let an explosive charged arrow sail through the air, striking the wall behind them.

"Bucky!" Kara shouted as the explosion sent both men soaring through the air. Clint moved to retrieve Bucky, pulling him out of the house and towards the waiting truck by the curb. Their foe gave chase, sending a hail of bullets at them. Bucky could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness, but before he did, he raised his metal hand showing Clint the small wooden box he managed to steal back from the Hydra made asset.

Jenny came running into the bedroom finding Ben holding Kara as she sobbed on his shoulder. She picked the laptop up off the floor, seeing the two dots moving quickly back towards them. Jenny could only guess from her sister's reaction that things didn't go well. Kara was trembling, sobbing so hard she was finding it hard to breathe.

They both jumped when Jenny's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing Steve Roger's number on her display. Kara could tell Jenny was in a panic, not sure if Clint and Bucky coming back to the house would be such a good idea. She swiped the ignore button as she stroked the back of Kara's head. "It's not safe here for Bucky… you understand?"

Kara shook her head, watching as her sister send Clint a text that would send her lover away.

 _City not safe. Go to farm. No contact. Cap is watching._

Kara lifted her teary eyes, seeing the perplexed look on her sister's face. "Is he okay?"

"He will be. I'll find out more as soon as I can," Jenny kissed the top of her head, leaving with the laptop to make some arrangements.

~~OO~~

A week had passed and Kara was about to go stir crazy. She hadn't talked to Bucky since the incident at Pierce's house and Jenny had been busy at her new job. Steve called a few times to check in on her, even coming by to ask her if she'd had a vision. Kara could tell Steve was fishing and the look in his keen eyes told her he knew something was up. She kept herself reoccupied with taking care of her father. Ben was getting better, finding more and more moments of lucidity. This communication blackout Jenny had her under was the worst part. Jenny was afraid that the authorities would discover the part they played in all of this and toss them both in prison. It was for the best, but Kara was beyond frustrated. She had tried several times to make contact with Bucky through their link, tried seeing things through his eyes again. Nothing came to her, not even the feeling of him being alive.

Bucky's mind had been in a haze, a fog of pain and anger since they left D.C. He tried to think of Kara, to feel that familiar tingle of her in his mind, but all he got in return was a cold numb feeling. Had their link been served or was she purposely blocking him out?

Clint had set Bucky up in the back bedroom as Laura tended to him. He wasn't sure how the serum should be administered, but Bucky's health was starting to fade. If Pierce wanted to kill Bucky, he didn't need to send an assassin to do it. All he needed to do was seal him off in a Hydra prison and let time and the lack of serum do the rest. Perhaps Pierce felt something akin to sympathy for the man he called Winter Solider and thought a bullet through the brain would be kinder.

Jenny obtained the records from both Steve and Bucky's rebirth experiments and sent them to Clint while they were on their way back to the farm. Laura could tell Bucky had a few days at the most left, as his pulse slowed and his breathing became more shallow. It was three days after D.C. before Clint felt confident enough to mix the serums and pray it worked.

Day four was filled with pain, screams and lots of praying. Laura never left Bucky's side as the serum coursed through his body, shifting bones and healing old wounds. A fever, so hot it should have killed him blazed across his flesh, leaving Clint to wonder if he did the right thing. All Bucky could do was cling to the image of his sassy ginger and the way her face lit up when she looked at him. It was that little slice of heaven that helped him through the hell he was now plunged into.

Day five was better, more calm as the serum transformed Bucky into this new man. He was starting to look healthier, his muscles bigger, his body stronger as he lay in this coma like state and thought only of his Kara. Memories he thought for sure were all but gone, were now fresh in his mind. He could remember every detail of his childhood with Steve, of all the girls he'd wined, dined and left satisfied. The memories of the 107th and the Howling Commandos came back with a force, and all the good times shared between them. Then he saw those eyes, those beautiful green eyes that soothed his soul, claimed his heart and made him feel like a real man.

"Kara," Bucky whispered out as he slowly opened his eyes. Laura smiled back at him, letting one tear roll down her cheek.

Day six came and Bucky wanted to test his new body. After a long run, he and Clint went out to the barn to test his strength. His body was in top physical condition; he wasn't even winded after chopping a massive pile of wood. The one and only thing he wanted to do now was hold his girl and hear her sweet voice. The bond between them appeared to be gone, but late at night, Bucky could feel her trying to tap into his mind. Whatever the reason was for this dam between them, he hoped it crumbled soon.

Day seven came with Jenny waking Kara, hating how tired she looked. The long nights of listening to her cry herself to sleep were enough to bring tears to her eyes as well. She sat on the bed, handing Kara a sheet of paper. She took it, noticing the Stark logo on top.

"You're offering me a job? Why? I'm going with Bucky as soon as he's better and back," Kara handed the paper back to her sister, trying not to look so cross with her.

"You need to get your life back and this will help. You can't go on the run with Bucky. That's no life and you know it. If he loves you… he'll want you to do this," Jenny placed the paper back on the bed, making Kara glaring at her.

"You're wrong, Jenny. You really don't know me. When our parents were taken from us, you left and I stayed with grandma and grandpa. Sometimes, it's like we're strangers, like we're not sisters at all. You don't get it. You've always put your goals and career first. I lead with my heart, where you lead with your head," Kara spent the rest of her day in her room, making a plan to go to Clint's farm and find her Bucky.

Day eight was a surprise to both Jenny and Bucky. Jenny woke early, making breakfast and praying her stubborn sister would listen to reason and come to work with her. She opened the bedroom door to find the room empty and a note in Kara's handwriting on the bed.

 _Jenny,_

 _Please don't be mad at me. I have to see him, have to be with him. This is your life, with computers and the nine to five, it's not for me. I love you and always will but if you love me, you have to let me be with him. Don't call Clint and don't call Steve, please. I will call you soon, promise._

 _Love you always,_

 _Kara_

Jenny crumpled the note up in her hand, cursing under her breath. Kara had always been different, had always gone against the status quo, so why should she stop now. "I love you too, big sis. You're right… I was wrong. Go get him."

Laura was clearing up the breakfast dishes when she heard a knock at the door. Clint gave her a kiss on the cheek as Bucky shoved the last muffin in his mouth. "I got it."

"Hi," Kara said as Clint opened the door. She pushed her thumbs into her backpack straps, giving him her best smile.

Clint grabbed her, pulling her into a hard hug, then immediately began to shout at her. "Are you out of your damn mind? How did you even get here? Did you walk? For fucks sake Kara."

"Hello to you too Clint. No, I took the bus then I hitched hiked until the turn off, but I did walk up the road to your house. My legs are better, almost healed. So stop your worrying… Dad. Clint, I can't link to him… I can't feel him. Is Bucky…" Kara searched Clint's face, hoping to see some sign Bucky was alright.

"Go see for yourself," Clint kissed her cheek, then stepped aside, pointing towards the kitchen.

Kara placed her backpack on the floor, slowly walking towards the kitchen entrance. She could hear the kids laughing and water running in the sink. Bucky's voice sounded strong, stronger than she remembered it. The smoothness of his voice sent shivers over her body, tingling all the way up her spine. Laura was making fun of him for clearing out an entire pan of muffins and he was practically begging her to make more. Laura's eyes lit up when she saw Kara standing in the doorway. Bucky turned around slowly, his dark hair framing his gorgeous face.

"Kara," his lips curved up into a smile as he crossed the room and lifted her up off the floor, his arms around her waist tight as his lips claimed hers over and over.

"The Little ones," Laura nudges the two of them, bringing them back to reality. Bucky let Kara go, setting her feet back down on the floor. He smiled back at her, his new found strength causing her back to ache.

"You look…" the words she wanted to say weren't appropriate for the little ears in the room, so she settled for the PG version, "really good."

"So do you," Bucky said as he took her hand and walked her out to the porch. They had barely made it around the corner of the house when his hands went on her face and his lips claimed her mouth, kissing along her neck and down to the exposed bit of her clavicle. "I need you," he whispered in her ear as he picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Kara dug her fingers into his hair, her nails scrapping along his scalp. He let out a hiss, his cock twitching hard against his pants. "Barn," Kara mumbled out between savagely deep kisses.

There in the barn, in a pile of straw, with the morning sun casting beams of light through the cracks, Bucky took his time showing Kara how much he loved her. His new body was perfection, each muscle and curve like that of a marble sculpture in a museum. Kara already thought he was glorious the way he was, but after the serum had worked its magic there was no doubt this man before her was more confident, more together, more in control than the one that left her.

With lips that worshiped every inch of her alabaster skin, Bucky made love to his ginger beauty over and over, leaving her more satisfied than the time before. The sun was starting to dip down behind the barn as exhaustion and hunger drove Kara to halt Bucky's admiration of her. After eating a hardy meal, they showered and slipped off to the back bedroom, where Kara curled up around her love and drifted off to the most peaceful sleep she'd had in months.

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 **Thank you for all the support. A special thank you goes out to** **orangeporqupine. I hope to start updating more than once a week. Until then, enjoy this chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

Kara woke with a stiffness in her hips and a smile on her lips. Last night was magnificent and she couldn't wait to do it all over again. The blanket Bucky had tucked around her was soft against her naked flesh, but what felt better was Bucky's hard muscles and smooth chest rubbing on her breasts.

She opened her eyes slowly, seeing Bucky smiling back at her. "Morning," she said as she sat up, feeling the ache in her bones.

"Bucky... Kara, breakfast," Laura called out as someone rapped on the bedroom door. Bucky kissed her forehead as he patted off to the bathroom, his naked backside a thing of pure glory.

Kara wrapped the blanket around her, trying to get the image of Bucky and his well sculpted body out of her mind. "Come in."

Clint slowly entered, his eyes darting around as if he were trying to avoid making eye contact with her. "After breakfast we need to talk. Kara, you need to call Jenny, might want to do that soon."

Kara's eyebrows pulled together as she tried to decipher Clint's meaning. She waited for him to leave before tossing on her clothes. Bucky returned from the bathroom in a pair of unbutton jeans, his body begging to be touched.

"Damn... why do you have to be so sexy all the time," Kara said under her breath as she pulled her hair up in a messy bun.

"Because you're so sexy all the time," Bucky replied with a smile, making her blush. He swatted her ass as she walked by, lifting an eyebrow back at her.

"Later, Mr. Barnes," she smiled back at him, making him chuckle. She passed Laura in the kitchen as she made the kids a plate and head off to find Clint. He was sitting on the porch drinking his coffee with a very concerned look etched across his face.

"Sit," Clint commanded, looking through the kitchen window at his wife and children.

Kara sat in the chair beside him as Bucky walked out with a biscuit in his hand. He took a bite as he squatted between Clint and Kara. "What's going on, Barton?"

"Steve called me this morning. We have a new mission, something about tracking down some Hydra tech. He said he got a call from Sam. The government is blaming Bucky for what went down at Pierce's house. One of the guards made you as we were leaving. You two need to get out of the states. I got a place in Canada you can hide out until things cool off," Clint handed them the keys to his truck and the house he owned.

"I want to help. I have too many wrongs I need to make right," Bucky stood up, his eyes locked on Clint.

"Buck, you can't help us; not the Avengers anyway. We both know Rogers will go down with you if the government tries to take you in and your history with Stark is complicated. You have to think of Kara and what will happen to her if they find out about her gift. Something big is brewing and from all the chatter Nat is picking up, it's going to be a shit storm. Just lay low for now and try to stay out of trouble," Clint stands up, clasping his hand on Bucky's metal shoulder. The two of them share an understanding and shook hands.

"For Kara... for Steve, I'll do this. But if trouble finds me, I won't run," Bucky clenches his jaw, hoping it doesn't come to that.

Kara took Bucky's hand, lacing her fingers through his metal ones. "Maybe this will be good for both of us. It's not like we can just board a plane and leave."

"I got connection if you want to jump the pond," Clint pulled out his cell phone and Bucky stopped him.

"Got too many eyes looking for me. It's best I keep you out of this as much as possible. If we leave Canada, it's best you don't know. Thanks for all your help, Clint," Bucky patted Clint's back as the weight of his past settled on his strong shoulders.

Kara asked for Clint's phone to call Jenny and waited for the two men to go eat breakfast before making the call. She wondered if her father was alright or if Jenny had gotten in trouble for helping Bucky. Her fingers were trembling as she dialed the numbers, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Jenny," Kara's broken voice showed her fear as she said her sister name.

"Kar, are you okay?" Jenny said in a low hush, almost whispering.

"Yeah... why are you whispering?" Kara sat on the top step of the porch, looking out over the tranquil countryside.

"I'm at work. Listen... I'm sending you a care package. It will be arriving at Clint's sometime today. Don't leave without it. I know I won't be hearing from you for a long while, so know I love you. Stay safe big sis," Jenny's words are cut off by her tears, causing Kara to cry too.

"Jenny, take care of Dad and yourself. I love you too, and I'll see you as soon as I can. I love him... with all my heart, I truly love him and I have to see this through," Kara wiped away her tears as she sealed off her heart so it wouldn't break.

"I know. I got to go... bye, Kar," Jenny hung up leaving so many words unsaid between them.

Bucky walked to the front door, listening to Kara cry. He wanted to go to her, to wrap her up in his arms, but he could tell she needed this moment alone. When she turned to face him, his heart broke a little for her. Her teary green eyes and somber frown made it impossible for him to not pull her in his arms.

"Get a bit to eat, then we'll get ready to go," he kissed the top of her head as he held her, her hands crushed against his chest.

The beat of his heart against her palm reminded her why she was doing all of this. Bucky had been the one constant in her life and no matter what else happen, he was always right there. Sure, there had been dark times, but somehow they both came through that to find the light that only their love provided.

As they walked into the house, she told him about her chat with Jenny and the package she had to wait for. He let her ramble on, her mind wandering from topic to topic throughout breakfast. The way Kara was with Jenny was the way he was with Steve. Steve had been his little brother in so many ways and he loved him unconditionally. While the world tried to tell Steve he was too small to do this or not strong enough to do that, Bucky believed in the tenacity of Steve Rogers. That little guy from Brooklyn always had his back and that was never truer than right now.

The morning soon became afternoon as they waited for the special delivery. Clint and Bucky went about doing some chores around the farm as Kara helped Laura in the house. The kids were off at school, making the house feel a little lonely. Kara smiled over at Laura when she caught her staring at Clint.

The smile on her face, the twinkle in her eye and that giddiness that floated off of her made Kara wonder if that's what she looked like when she stared at Bucky. Laura was in love with Clint, that was written all over her face. Being in love suited her cousin and being a mother just completed her. Kara couldn't help but wonder if a life like this would ever be possible with a man like Bucky. Something in her heart wanted that badly, but her head kept telling her no. The life Bucky lived, the past he couldn't out run would always be there. Maybe just being his and in love would be enough.

Out of nowhere, a vision hit her. Kara stammered back against the wall as the vision took over. She was lost to the images and the words echoing in her head that flashed by so fast she barely had time to make them out at all.

Blood, tears and Steve's forced smile stared back at her. The images were a blur, but that much she made out. Steve's bloody hand reached down to take hers, his fingers squeezing so hard. "I'm with ya…" his words trailed off when she answered him back. "This ain't the end of the line, Rogers," Kara's hand held tight to Steve's as she watched the smile widen on his face.

Bucky's arms were around her tight as his lips kissed up her neck to under her ear. "You look lost in thought."

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm not a little worried about all of this. About my family, about you and Steve. My visions have been strange of lately. I haven't had one about you in a while and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever have another one," she did her best to hide the vision she'd just had. Bucky didn't need to know, especially when she wasn't really sure what it meant herself.

Bucky's metal hand slowly stroked her cheek, his eyes smiling back at her. "After last night, I have no doubt we're still connected. I still feel what you feel. Your joy, happiness and… how good I feel to you when I'm deep inside you. I don't care if you never have another vision of me, just as long as you're by my side."

"That's exactly where I want to be," Kara wrapped her arms around him, feeling something flow, making her pulse quicken. She needed Bucky in a way she'd never needed a man. It was more than sex; it was a bond that made her feel alive even when he wasn't touching her.

They walk hand in hand back in the house, Bucky, for once letting his guard down. What had this woman done to him? She had come into his life like a tornado across the western plains, leaving him a different man for it. The Bucky that walked out of the water was indeed a man baptized by the love for his friend, and now by the love a woman entirely too good for him.

Kara wondered why Bucky was looking at her like he might never see her again. It sort of scared her a little, but when he gave her that smile that was only for her, she relaxed. They had an uncertain future ahead of them, one litter with danger. She was ready to face whatever came their way, no matter what.

"Kara, you have a package," Laura said softly behind them, neither of them looking at her.

"Thanks. I'll be right there," Kara pushed up on her tiptoes to give Bucky a brief kiss when he caught her face and kissed her back harder. The world spun around in that moment, his kiss, taking her breath. He poured all of his love into that one kiss, hoping she understood just what she meant to him.

"Kar..." Bucky said as their lips parted, the tip of his tongue tracing the full pad of her bottom lips, " whatever happens out there... always know I love you."

She brushed the hair out of his face, letting her fingertips glide gently over his brow. "Always, Barnes."

The medium square shaped shipping box rested on Laura's kitchen table. Bucky looked it over, making sure it had no hidden trackers. The label was from Stark Industries, which put everyone in the house on guard. "You better let me open it," Clint pulled his knife from his belt while everyone stepped back.

"Clint, it's from Jenny... it's not booby-trapped," Kara took one step forward only to have Bucky pull her back with his metal arm around her waist.

With the flick of his wrist, Clint sent the tip of the blade through the packing tape. He slowly opened the lid, while almost everyone else held their breath. He looked back over his shoulder at Kara with a grin. "Looks like Jenny is using her skills with a computer and Stark Industries equipment for your benefit."

Inside were documents, passports, fake identification and money from different countries as well as key cards for Star Industries. Kara lifted the packets out, going through each one and felt a hard tug on her heart. When a new I.D. for Bucky fell out, Kara couldn't stop the tears that had perched upon her lids. Bucky took the items from her, placing them back in the envelopes.

"You'll see her again and when we do, I'll thank her for this. I guess in a way... Jenny is your Steve," Bucky kissed her forehead before joining Clint in the living room. Kara took her sister's gift in hand and headed off toward the bedroom when Laura called out to her.

"Kara, you missed something," Laura held up a cell phone, most likely a burner phone. The phone had a phone number programmed in it, but nothing she recognized. She creased her brow as she studied the phone. Clint spied her looking perplexed and wandered over to her.

"What ya got there, Ginger Snap?" Clint took the phone, giving it a good looking over. "Your little sister is one smart cookie. Stark Technology is top-notch. This isn't any burner phone. It uses Stark satellites for the signal and has an instant scrambler. The signal will bounce around the world before it could be pinpointed. I have one myself. Tony didn't ask any questions when I asked him to make me one. It lets me call Laura without worrying about them being discovered."

Clint handed her the phone back after programming his own number in it. She gave him a hard hug, her small arms locked tight around his neck. "Thank you. I mean it. You have no reason to trust Bucky and I'm not saying you do, but you trust me enough to believe in him."

"Just stay safe," Clint picked up the duffle bags from the bed and headed out to his truck.

Kara joined Laura in the kitchen as she packed them a picnic basket full of nonperishable food and some sandwiches. Kara wanted to be on the road before the kids got home, so she gave Laura a hug and a thank you as she took the basket in hand and walked out of her cousin's house. There was a deep loss in Kara's heart as soon as she left that little farm house. Part of her wondered if she'd ever see it or her cousin again.

"You ready," Bucky reached his hand out, taking the basket form her.

"As ready as I can ever be to go on the run," Kara winked at him, giving him a playful smile.

She had just climbed in the truck when another vision took her over. The image of Bucky kissing her as tears rolled down his cheeks was strong in her mind. He looked heavy hearted but at peace as well. Kara could see her hand reaching for him as he climbed on a bike and rode away without her. She felt her knees nearly buckle as she picked up a duffle and walked into Jenny's house. Jenny wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her. Kara felt something strange take hold of her, almost like someone else was there in her vision but she couldn't make out who. As the vision started to fade, she saw Jenny hand her a phone with Steve Rogers name across the screen. "Call him."

Bucky's lips were on her cheek, bringing her back from the vision. She turned to look at him, seeing the home she had always wanted there in his eyes. Bucky could tell she was either lost to a vision or lost in thought, so he let her be. As the truck backed out of the driveway, Kara tried to figure out what the vision could mean. She wanted to unlock the mystery it held so badly. Then something came over her, as if she already knew the events of that vision were meant to be and an ease fell over her. But how could she be at ease with Bucky leaving her? It made no sense to her, to be okay with the man she loves more than life, leaving her and heading off to parts unknown.

When she felt Bucky's hand take hers, she tried to tuck her puzzlement with that vision away and concentrate on the next few hours, days she had to face with the world looking for a man who no longer existed.

They were on the highway, ready to make the exit towards Canada when Bucky shouted out something in Russian. "Opezdol!"

"What?" Kara looked over at him, leaving the crossword her father had given her in her lap.

"Sorry. I'm such an idiot. I got to get us off the main highway. We can't go through a checkpoint," Kara started to giggle to herself, but she was a little turned on by his use of Russian. She made a quick mental note to ask him to talk dirty to her in Russian later tonight. The memory of them crossing a dangerous mountain road came back to her from their last trip across the Canadian border. Bucky was feverish and she was scared shitless. She rifled through her bag to retrieve the passports Jenny had made them. Kara waved his fake passport in front of his face with a gleeful, albeit, smug smile.

"I'm not going across that mountain again and thanks to Jenny I don't have to. Okay, Mr. … John Sands, let's get us to that cabin," Kara tucked his passport in his jacket pocket and pulled hers from her bag. The smiling girl looking back at her from the passport photo looked like a memory from a lifetime ago. She snickered when she saw the name Jenny had put on the passport for her, Ginger Sands.

Bucky did his best to stay calm and collected as they made it to the checkpoint and was grateful they easily made it past. He let out a breath he'd be holding, because he really didn't want to add more red to his ledger and if the border patrol had tried to stop them, that's exactly what would have happened.

Kara was tired and road weary, beyond ready to get out of the truck and stretch her legs. When they finally pulled up to the cabin, all Kara wanted to do was take a long, hot shower. Bucky loaded up their belongings and took them inside while Kara started the shower. She was eager to take a look around their new abode and Bucky couldn't stop worrying until he did a sweep of the perimeter. Kara did a once over of the small cabin, the quant little four room log home had all they would need for now. She was sure cabin fever could take hold soon enough and Bucky would want to wander on. Until then, she was going to take advantage of having her new, stronger, healthier man all to herself.

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 **Thanks for all the support**


	29. Chapter 29

A numbness that consumed him, frozen even the blood in his veins covered him from head to toe. He could hear the low hiss of pressure being released from a hose as the lights came on in his chamber. The thick Russian accents of the voices outside were a reminder he was about to become their weapon again. The familiar pain of his rebirth started as a searing flesh burning agony and ended with the dull pain of the too bright lights in his eyes.

"Hello, asset," the voiced called out to him and he did his best to focus on it. He was soon taken from the chamber to the chair that was his torture. "Time to prep him." Those words sent a real fear through him that made his heart beat harder and his breaths to come quickly.

"Bucky…" the voice calling out to him now was softer, with a gentleness to it.

He woke from his nightmare with Kara standing on the other side of the room, his t-shirt hanging over her small frame and her green eyes rimmed with concern. "Come here," he raised his metal hand, motioning for her to join him back in the bed.

"Are you sure?" she asked as her feet moved slowly towards him. Bucky's heart began to race again, only this time it wasn't because of a nightmare, but a waking fear that he had harmed her again.

He scooted up in the bed, his eyes scanning her body for any signs of physical harm. "What did I do?"

She sat on the edge of the bed, letting her palm glide into the cool vibranium of his. Kara was precocious and after the last PTSD event Bucky experienced she was leery. There was a doubt in her eyes that make his heart sore. He hoped to never see that look again and the memory of his hands around her throat sent a cold chill down his spine.

"You woke me thrashing in your sleep and I knew what it was. I'm sorry…" her hands covered her mouth as if she was about to be sick and Bucky lowered his eyes from her face. Her hand went to his chin, lifting his face back up. With a tenderness, she kissed him and tried to wipe away all his self-loathing.

"If I ever hurt you… again, I'd never forgive myself," Bucky kissed her back, letting his arm wrap around her waist loosely.

"I want to take all your pain, all your fears and push all your demons away. I'm so sorry you have to face them when you close your eyes. I know how hard you fight to keep them at bay. The serum made you a stronger man, but it didn't heal all your wounds. The things they did to you to make you their puppet left scars that go so deep, I'm not sure I'm enough to help you heal them," Kara slipped down in the bed with him, her body snuggling into his arms.

Bucky rested his chin on the top of her head, hearing her words resonate in his head. He knew exactly what she meant about not being enough. He needed those that loved him, around him to push the darkness from his heart if he stood a chance of surviving this. James Barnes was a distant memory and the Winter Solider was a nightmare he had to face, but this man that lay here with this beauty was something new. Part of him was James with he was with Kara. She made him feel good and right, like all the brutally of his life never happened. The Russian assassin looked back at him when his demons clutched him in his sleep, that man not really a man at all. Those two halves of him had mingled into a new being that had one purpose, to have a real life. He wanted that so badly, a real life were Kara and Steve didn't have to take chances or put their lives in danger to be by his side.

They lay there until the warm glow of the sunrise filled the small bedroom. Kara lifted her eyes to him, the green orbs nearly smiling. "Stay here," she said as the smile spread across her lips and she bound from the bed. Bucky sat up, watching her as the giddiness that surrounded her outshined the sun.

"Kara… what are you doing?" his curiosity was getting the better of him as he grabbed his pants from the floor. He could hear her in the living room, tossing through her duffle as she mumbled under her breath. She was never as sexy to him as when she tried so hard to hold back a curse word and fail at it miserably. The sounds from the living room got quiet as he pulled his pants on and tossed on his button up shirt that was hanging on the bed post.

With her surprise in her hand, Kara returned to the bedroom and was struck dumb upon the sight of Bucky with his shirt hanging open and his pants barley zipped up. As beautiful as he was completely naked, there was just something alluring and downright yummy half dressed. He looked like a present that was open just enough to give you a peek at the prize inside. "I want to share something with you."

She took his flesh hand and lead him over to the bed. He sat down, letting her kneel down in front of him. As he stared back into her angelic face, he never wanted this moment to end. "Does this something require less clothing?"

Kara swatted his thigh, feeling the blush rush across her cheeks. She had thought about having her way with him first. His current state of dress wasn't making those carnal thought easy to push away, but she had something a little more pressing in mind first. "I'm going to tell you a story and I want you to listen."

Bucky offered her his hand and she took it, sitting on the bed beside him. His cool blue eyes held her gaze like a lover's embrace and her heart sighed in contentment. "I'm all yours," he whispered to her as he kissed her cheek and rested his hand on her knee. He had this insatiable need to touch her, all the time. If he wasn't touching her, it was like he wasn't whole.

"My visions were a bit much to take at first. I don't blame you… I never have, but I was only ten. If not for my journal, I'm not sure I could have accepted and understood them like I do. This book isn't just a bunch of gibberish or drabble, it's my life… your life… the things Hydra took from you and what they will never take again, because I won't let you ever forget. But I can see how hard you fight with that demon that devours your happy memories in your sleep and I can't stand how numb he leaves you. Write it down, get it out. All of it, Bucky. Don't ever live in fear of that monster taking away from you what we have, what you and Steve have or all those things that make you… you. I haven't written in my journal in so long and I think that's because I have you now. You fill the hole in me that writing in the journal used to fill. You can read it if you want, but I need you to write in it," Kara pressed her journal in his hand, letting Bucky have a glimpse into her mind.

"No. This is your journal and you should keep it and you should still write in it. I'll get some notebooks to write in, that's just more my style. This is a good idea, Kara and you're right. I don't ever want to forget again and if someday you're not there to remind me," he closed his eyes, praying that day never came. Somewhere deep in heart he felt this thing with Kara, while beautiful, would never last. Things of beauty often tarnished in his touch, crumbled under his clutch and he feared that would be Kara's fate. So, when that day came and the monster took his memories again, he'd have these scribbled pages to lead him back to the man Kara made him.

Kara's lips were on his in a flash. She needed to silence his words, to calm that turmoil in his heart and bring him back to a place where their happily ever after existed. "Yes, you needed something that is all your own, but there will never be a day I won't be yours."

They lay in the bed, holding each other, kissing each other until hunger got the best of them. Bucky whipped up some scrambled eggs and bacon while Kara rifled through the desk in the living room until she found a notebook. The red cover and wire binding had seen better days and a few pages had been ripped from it, but this would be a good start for Bucky. She opened the notebook and tucked a pen in the spiral binding as she sat down to eat. "You can multitask… right?"

"Multitask?" Bucky cocked his head sideways at her as he took a bite of bacon. "You want me to write over breakfast? Where do I start?"

Kara placed the last of the bacon in his plate before pouring them both a cup of coffee. "From the beginning. What do you remember about growing up with Steve?"

~~OO~~

It had been a week since Kara had given Bucky the notebook and true to her word, she went into town and bought him several more. Each notebook was color coded for his memories and each one held a pen just in case he couldn't find one. He had been writing at all hours of the day and night, jotting down all the memories as they came to him. He stored his memories in the black backpack Kara had brought with them, along with her own journal. She had begun writing again herself, mostly writing down her hopes for the man she loved. The vision of Steve with bloody hands and tears in his eyes still haunted her and she couldn't seem to shake it. As in the past, she wrote it all down in hopes of finding some answers.

Late one evening as she sat in the small living room, reading her journal, she looked up to see Bucky had fallen asleep on the couch with his journal on his chest. The pen rested just on the edge of his perfect lips as he slumbered so peacefully. She laid her journal on the side table and inched her way over to him. Picking up the notebook gently, she retrieved it and the pen and pulled the throw over him. Kara was about to sit back down to write about this simple, sweet moment when she saw the words on the page Bucky had been scribbling on.

 _Kara. Green eyes. Hair as red the sky at sunset. A smile so bright it outshines the stars. Her love saved me. Saves me. Kara Bennett and Jenny Bennett are sisters. Jenny is a friend and she works for Stark. Don't forget you have friends and people that care. They care. You love Kara. She gives you a purpose. She gives you hope. She is your hope. Kara and Steve are your hope._

When the tears began to fall, Kara tucked the notebook into his backpack on the floor and picked up her journal. With Bucky's pen, she wrote just five little words.

 _Someday you will marry Bucky._

It was more of a wish than a declaration, but there was a real hope in those words. It would be her mantra to get her through the days. Even if the government found them, she would hold to this believe that all the bad Bucky had done as a Hydra assassin would be put in check by all the good he has and would continue to do. She was about to turn the lights off for the night and wake Bucky for bed when she heard a knock on the door.

Bucky sprang up from the couch, his body in a defense stand. He took the handgun from the side table and watched as Kara pulled the curtain back from the door window. "It's the little old woman from down the hill."

"What does she want?" Bucky didn't look too happy for the interruption from their neighbor. Bucky's training told him something was off; he could feel it in his gut.

"Hello," Kara said as she opened the door, the little woman about a foot shorter than her. The elderly woman gave her a brief smile before she began to point a shaky finger at her house.

"Can you help me? My dog darted out of the house and I can't find him. He's all I have… please," Kara looked back at Bucky who was studying the old woman, his eyes nearly squinting.

"Okay. I'm… Ginger and this is my husband John. What' your dog's name?" Kara slipped on her sneakers as she tossed on Bucky's jacket. He slowly shook his head at her, wanting her to stay put in the cabin. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what harm there could be with helping a little old lady find her dog.

"Thank you. I'm Unis and my dog is Butch. He was a gift from my granddaughter. I think he's in the woods behind my house," Unis turned back towards the pathway down the hill, walking slowly off as Kara tried to plead with Bucky to come.

Bucky gritted his teeth and tuck the handgun in the back of his jeans. They had been at Clint's place without anyone bothering them and now, they have a neighbor at their door. The government was looking for them, Steve was looking for them and those that he had wronged as The Winter Soldier was looking for them. Who's to say the neighbor wasn't some decoy to lure them out in the open. All his mistrust was well placed; he'd been burned before in the past. He didn't want Kara to get burned this time, for her trust and big heart to be crushed. "Kar… Ginger, wait."

Kara gave him a wink as she giggled at him calling her Ginger. "What is it?"

"Are you sure about this?" he took her hand, doing his best to keep the metal hand in his jean pocket. Unis gave him a smile as she led them down the path to a gazebo at the back of her house. A pillow and blanket with the name Butch embroidered on them rested inside as well as a dog bowl. Kara picked up a chew toy resting on the steps, giving Bucky a smirk.

"Unis, can you get us a picture of your dog so we'll know him when we see him?" Kara rubbed the little woman's back, trying to give her comfort. Bucky still didn't like it; he just couldn't shake that something was off.

They walked around the back of the property, looking for any sign of the dog. Unis came back out with the picture as daylight was beginning to fade. They only have maybe thirty minutes of sunlight left before it would be pitch dark.

The dog was a midsize, full stock English bulldog what looked like he was very pampered. Bucky took the picture and began to follow a path that lead out towards the woods. Kara told Unis to go back inside and she'd be back if they found him. Unis gave her a quick hug and disappeared inside. Bucky saw something that seemed odd to him, so he followed it up the hill. There were drag marks in the dirt, as if something or someone had been drug off this way. He felt for the gun at his back when Kara yelled back to him she was going down to the lake. She tensed for a moment when she saw a shadow off in the distant.

"Buck?" she said to herself as she headed off towards the towering figure. Kara knew Bucky hadn't doubled back and got to the lake before her, but there was something in the way the man was standing.

"Who are you?" she yelled at the stranger and he turned with the missing dog in his arms. The dog looked like he'd gotten in a fight with a cat or another dog from the patches of missing fur. Kara reached for the dog, only to have the stranger pull away.

"So… this is where Barton sent you. He's not as smart as I thought he was," the man had his face concealed from him, his accent reminding her of the German teacher she had in high school.

Kara looked back behind her to find Bucky, but he was nowhere in sight. Why hadn't she stayed with him? Why had she let her curiosity get the better of her? If this was the government she'd find a way out of it, but if this was Hydra, she was screwed. She took a deep breath and steadied her knocking knees. "What?"

"Looks like you are the key to unlocking Sergeant Barnes. I know things. You know things. A chat between us is long overdue, Ms. Bennett," the man smiled at her as Kara walked backwards towards Unis's house.

"Who are you?" Kara asked again, feeling her heart fall to her stomach.

"You can call me… Zemo," a sickly feeling fell over Kara as the man sat the dog down and tossed a gray ball on the ground. A cloud of smoke plumped out, causing her eyes to sting and her lungs to burn. It only took a few seconds for the chemicals in the smoke to bombard her senses and knock her out.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the support**


	30. Chapter 30

All she could think about was Bucky. Where was he? Would this madman try to kill him? Was she ever see her sweet love again? All those questions played over in her mind as the world faded to black. Kara held on to the grass, her fingers trying to etch out a message in the dirt while she still had consciousness. She felt her body giving into the chemicals choking her out as she scrawled out Zemo in the hard clay earth.

A sinister laughter echoed in her ears before she closed her eyes. "Bucky…" she whispered out, hoping he stayed safe.

Bucky followed the trail, but couldn't shake the feeling something was so very off. He heard a dog barking down by the lake and wondered why Kara hadn't called out to him. Panic gripped him hard as he ran towards the lake, seeing a tall, menacing looking man standing at the water's edge.

A gray smoke clung to the area like a thick fog. Bucky's training kicked in as he lowered down on his belly, crawling towards a figure on the ground. He heard a loud bang that could only be a gun firing, causing him to go even more on guard. Pulling the handgun from the back of his jeans, he looked through the smoke to see the man shooting in his direction. The flash of auburn hair made the panic he was already feeling sore up and clamp on to his heart. His Kara was lying limp on the ground while this stranger stood over her, trying to pick her up.

Bucky sprang up, his thighs rippling as he swung his foot around and make contact with the man's face. The man stammered backwards, waving his arms to correct his balance. Bucky's metal arm swung forward, punching something hard. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Kara still laying on the ground. Without thinking, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Bullets whizzed past his head as he took off towards their cabin. As Bucky climbed up the hill he heard the stranger yelling out to him.

"Run… hide… I will always find you, Sergeant Barnes," the voice sounded so familiar, so much so it triggered a memory from Bucky's past. He nearly tripped as he carried Kara up the hill as the memory clawed at his mind.

Once he was inside, he didn't care about anything but getting him and Kara as far away from this place as possible. "Kara… baby… you have to wake up."

He patted her face, shaking her shoulders slightly. Kara didn't wake, she didn't even flinch. Bucky raced around the cabin, tossing all their belongings into the duffle bags they had and tucked his notebooks in the backpack. After tossing their things in the truck, he scooped Kara up and placed her gently inside. The truck roared to live and Bucky spun gravel out of the driveway as he sped away, putting some miles between them and this newest danger.

They had made it halfway to the Canadian border when the phone in the backpack began to ring. Bucky pulled the truck over, giving his sleeping beauty a kiss on the forehead as he retrieved the phone.

"What!" he nearly shouted as he answered the call. The voice he heard instantly calmed his racing heart.

"It's Clint. Something wrong?" Clint sounded very concerned, his voice dripping with worry.

"I'm heading back to the states. Someone from my past found us. I'm not sure who he is… but I know him," Bucky closed his eyes, searching his spotty memory for the man, for the voice he heard.

"Okay. I'll meet you at the border," Clint gave him directions to which border station to meet him at and what to do when he got there. Bucky left out the part that Kara was out like a light and hadn't woken up yet. He was worried what the man had done to her, but he kept feeling her pulse and it stayed strong and steady.

When the truck pulled up to the border station, Clint jumped out of his SUV to help Bucky with their things. Kara rested almost lifeless in Bucky's arms as he walked her to the SUV and placed her in the backseat.

"We're not safe with me. I can't keep putting us in danger, Clint," Bucky stroked her face, feeling his heart rip apart.

"You aren't leaving on some suicide mission, Barens. She will just hunt your ass down. If you love her at all, you'll stay with her," Clint's nostrils flared as he jumped in the driver's seat, his fingers gripping the steering wheel hard.

"Where are we going?" Bucky put Kara's head in his lap as he pushed into the back seat. He couldn't imagine a life without her, but he couldn't image a world without her in it either.

"To the airport. You have to get far away from here. There's a private plane ready to take you anywhere. Is there any place you can go that you don't have someone ready to kill you?" Clint chuckled as he gazed into the rear view mirror.

"Not sure. I've got a lot of notches on my belt. You've seen my… Winter Soldier's folder. I've spilled blood all over the fucking globe. I won't spill Kara's too," Bucky pulled her up into his arms as she began to wake.

Clint just stared back at Bucky for a moment before he began to shake his head. There was no talking to Bucky when he was like this and all Clint could do was let him and Kara work this out.

"Kar, you okay?" Bucky kissed her temple as he stroked her back. She nodded as she snuggled into his chest, resting her cheek on his hard pecks.

"Who was that? He called himself… Zemo," she cleared her throat when she heard how hoarse she sounded. She couldn't shake the coldness that had crept over her, even though Bucky's warm arms were wrapped around her tightly. When she looked up into Bucky's face, she saw the mix of anger and disbelief on his face.

"Zemo?" Clint said back to her, as if he knew that name. He and Bucky shared a glance, the two of them apparently holding back a dark truth they didn't want her to know.

Kara let it go, not wanting to delve any deeper into that subject. The atmosphere in the SUV had become very uncomfortable. Clint looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin and Bucky was so tense he was grinding his teeth. Kara reached up, stroking his face and softly kissing his tight lips. He softened to her touch and his lips become more acceptable. He kissed her back, holding her face so tenderly it made her heart sigh.

"Where too my beauty?" Bucky asked as Kara sat up beside him. She looked at Clint as he gave her a quick look over his shoulder.

"I'm not leaving the states, Barton. If my dad gets worse or Jenny needs me, I need to be a plane ride away," Kara turned her attention to Bucky, trying her best to control her trembling bottom lip. "You're going to have enemies where ever we go. This, Zemo, he wants the killer, the assassin, the man with ice in his veins… not this man that remembers, that knows he's more than bullets and blood. Shield is gone and Hydra still exists in some small fraction. We need to be ready for whatever comes our way. Let's take the fight to them instead of waiting to be hunted."

Bucky loved how strong she could be, how willing she was to fight for what she believes in and for those she loved. She was right and he knew it. He'd never run from a fight in his life and he wasn't about to start now.

"We do this… your way," Bucky took her hand as he looked at Clint. Clint didn't say another word until they reached the airport. He turned around in the driver's seat, giving Kara a wide smile.

"Okay, Ginger Snap… you get some proper training and I'll give you two a heads up on whatever Hydra activity I find out about. Cap has got us chasing down some Asgardian tech, so we'll be tied up with that until we find it. You two hold up in my training facility until you're ready to take on the big boys. Bucky will train you and Kara… you'll keep him in check. Don't make me regret this choice. You can take the solider out of the war, but you can't take the war out of the soldier. God forgive me if this goes south." Clint exited the SUV and walked over to the pilot. He gave him instructions to take them to his training facility in upstate New York.

They boarded the plane and Clint told them quick instruction on the training grounds. Bucky took out his memory notebooks and jotted down the pass codes as well as all the tools and weapons at his disposable. From the grin on his face, Kara knew she was in for some long nights of physical extrusion and not the fun kind either.

~~OO~~

"Again!" Bucky shouted at her as she picked up the staff, feeling the blood from her sore, cracked knuckles trickle down her hand.

"We've been at this, day and night for nearly a week. Can I just have five minutes?" she slumped to the mat, only to have Bucky grip the top of her arm and jerk her up.

"You wanted to train. You wanted to take the fight to Hydra, so you get up and really fucking hit me this time. I can't be worried about you if I'm in battle… so get your pretty little ass up and hit me, dammit," the stern, forceful way he was speaking to her, holding her was such a damn turn on, all she wanted to do was jump him and fuck him so hard they were both too tired to train.

Kara gripped the staff, squared her shoulders and braced her legs for the hard swing that Bucky was about to deliver. The Bo Staff moved in a blur in Bucky's expert hands, but she'd seen him do this move enough to know he was going to step right, turn left and shift his hands down the staff right before he strike. She took a quick breath before she rotated her body, swiveling down on her knees, swinging the bow up to catch his bow and strike him in the chest. He grinned back at her before he flipped over her, sending the bow towards the back of her, but she managed to duck and do a somersault away from him, coming back up in a crouching stance.

"That all you go, Barnes," she teased him, gripping the staff at the end and swinging it over her head, jumping up to miss his swing and making contact with his bare back.

"You were paying attention. What else you go, Bennett?" Bucky gave her a sexy smirk as he tossed his staff at her feet, motioning for her to come at him.

They practiced until the day was well past gone and morning was about to greet the day. Kara lay exhausted on the mats, her body covered in bruises and blood, every muscle aching so badly she was about to cry. "I'm done."

"You're not done until I say you're done," Bucky flipped over, his legs straddling her hips. She looked up at him, wondering how the hell he could have that much energy left. She was starving and in bad need of a shower. Bucky leaned down, kissing her sore, sweaty neck as his hands glided up her sides, over her shoulders and down to her breasts.

"Bucky," Kara closed her eyes, too tired to argue and too turned on to stop him.

"I'm not a sadist, Kara. I know you need some food and sleep. We'll continue this… later," he gave her that devilish grin that made every inch of her body tingle, rumbling through her apex until she her core was pulsating.

Bucky helped her up, feeling a little pride in how far she'd come in such a short time. He knew he was pushing her, but if they were going to take on the best Hydra had or even the government if they found them, then she'd need to be prepared.

Kara scooted off to the shower while Bucky made them some dinner. He was famished and ready to devour the entire kitchen. Kara eased out of her workout clothes, feeling each sore spot and strained muscles as she did so. Bucky hadn't pulled any punches with her during their training sessions, not even when she begged him too. Each bruise was now a badge of honor to her. She'd earned them and got stronger, quicker and gained more stamina than she thought were possible. As a personal trainer she was used to pushing her clients, pushing herself to get the best out of them and that's exactly what Bucky was doing to her.

As she stepped under the warm stream of water, she felt her muscles start to relax. Bucky had more hand to hand combat training in store for her as well as weapons training. They could be at the training facility for another month and Kara wasn't sure she'd ever be ready for what Hydra could throw at her. She had enough faith in Bucky to have her back, that she was ready to face whatever came their way.

Bucky tossed some noodles in a pot and warmed up some pasta sauce, wondering if Kara like garlic. He cut the French loaf into slices, wondering what else he didn't know about her. He thought maybe he'd get some answers to a few questions as they ate and write the answers down in his Kara notebook. The shower water turned off and Bucky smiled, thinking of how beautiful she must look all freshly washed, with her long auburn hair hanging down her creamy back. The erection that was now pressing against his sweat pants was turning his thoughts back to being with his girl.

"Kara, you ready to eat?" he called down the hallway, but got no answer in reply. "Kar?"

Bucky turned the flame down on the stove and walked towards the bathroom at the end of the hall. He slowly opened the still steamy room to find only a white towel draped over the shower door. He swiftly turned on his heels, making his way back down the hallway when he stopped the flash of alabaster skin. Kara was fast asleep on their bed, her hair still wet and her body only covered by one of his t-shirts. He squatted down beside the bed, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek as he tucked her hair away from her face.

Kara opened one eye just briefly before she turned her head and gripped his pillow in her arms. "I'm too tired to eat."

"I know. Sleep, then we'll have some dinner later," Bucky pulled the covers up over her, kissing the top of her head as he whispered he loved her.

The smile that pulled her cheeks back made him chuckle. He loved how observant she was, even when she was nearly comatose. "Love you too, Barnes."

Bucky finished making dinner, placing the sauce covered pasta in the fridge and wrapping up the sliced bread. He made a sandwich, loading on the pastrami and cheese. The last time he'd eaten at the delicatessen by his house in Brooklyn was with Steve. He was getting ready to enlist in the army and wasn't really sure how to tell Steve. The war was taking more and more of the boys in their neighborhood and Bucky would be the next. Steve wanted to join, but his 4F status kept him from the battle field. If Bucky was honest with himself, he was glad Steve couldn't enlist. As he ate his sandwich, he wrote down this newest memory, adding to the already half full notebook. The memories of his life before were coming to him easier and more often and he was sure that was because of Kara. He placed the pen back inside the notebook with a smile, that too had come much easier to him.

After he cleaned up the kitchen, he headed off to bed and to his Kara. He opened the door expecting to find her all curled up in bed, her auburn hair fanning out over the pillow, but the bed was empty. He looked out the balcony door to see her standing there with the wind gently blowing her hair and a blanket wrap around her. She looked over her shoulder at him, giving him that smile that always made his heart skip a beat.

Kara wondered when he'd come to bed as she gazed up at the big, bright moon. She'd woke with the worst stomach cramps she'd ever had and covered in a sticky, hot sweat. She tossed off the cover, loving the rush of cool air on her heated flesh. Today's workout had been hard, to the point of exhaustion and her body was telling her so. She patted off to the bathroom, turning on the cool water in the skin and splashing several hands full on her face. Staring up in the lowly light mirror, she saw how tired her eyes looked. The stomach cramps were twisting deep in her gut, but she wasn't nauseas. Kara took a deep breath, grabbed the blanket off the bed and walked out on the balcony. The crisp night air was exactly what she needed, but the longer she stood there the more she wanted to feel Bucky's arms around her.

"Come here and hold me," she said to him as he closed the space between them. His arms were around her in an instant, her body melting into his.

"You look tired, sweetheart. Let me get you back to bed," Bucky kissed her cheek before scooping her up in his arms. Kara's head perched on his metal shoulder, her arms hanging loosely about his neck. Bucky laid her down in the bed when she gripped the edge of the bed and threw up all over the floor. He held her hair as what was left in her stomach emptied on the hardwood.

She looked up through teary eyes, feeling just a little embarrassed at being such a lightweight. The memory of spending day after day kneeling by her toilet when she was conditioning to be a personal trainer made her see just how out of shape she had become. "I'll be alright, I just need to eat and get a few hours of sleep. I don't have some super serum so you'll have to let me train at my own pace."

His metal hand cupped her flushed cheek as his heart sank in his chest. He had been pushing her hard for days, too hard from the looks of it and her body was not revolting on her. "I'm sorry. I get in the zone and I can't see anything but the goal ahead of me. Come… let's get you some food."

Kara managed to get keep a few bites of food down, turning down the pasta for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Her simplicity was one of the many things Bucky loved about her. She had this way of making him smile, even when he didn't want to. The worry and guilt he felt was erased by her smile and the small giggle that floated from her as she licked the jelly from her fingers.

They curled up in bed together, Bucky barely sleeping as he watched his beauty. Kara was his world now and nothing or no one was going to come between them.

* * *

 **Thank you for all the support**


	31. Chapter 31

Training all day and making love until the wee hours of the morning was starting to take a real toll on Kara. She was getting very little sleep and it was starting to show. Bucky had moved from the Bow Staff to weapons training. Kara was a little impressed with herself for picking up the different guns so quickly. It was almost like she was born for this life.

Clint kept them in the loop about the latest on Hydra and what new mission he was on. Steve was bound and determined to end Hydra once and for all and find Bucky in the meantime. Sam had been looking high and low for any sign of him, but since they came to the training facility, it was as if they had fallen off the face of the earth.

Having these stolen moments to train, to be alone and to find themselves was just what they needed. Bucky continued to discover more about himself, having more and more memories come back to him. Kara helped him with his journal, as well as wrote in her own. She loved Bucky with every inch of her soul, but she missed her sister and father so badly. After Ben had been ripped from their family, Kara missed the fatherly bond she had with him. Jenny was now reaping that bond, making her heart feel a little sore for the loss of his love.

A dribble of maple syrup clung to her lips as Bucky leaned up and kissed it away. His tongue sent bolts of sensual desire coursing through her as his lips formed over hers. He pulled back with a smile and a pleased hum as his thumb slowly swiped the rest of the sticky substance away. Kara's mouth felt like two blazing buds, her body craving more of his touch. She instinctively rubbed her thighs together, trying to releave some of the ache now pulsating at her apex.

"You keep that up, Mr. Barnes and we won't be finishing breakfast," Kara pushed the last bit of her waffle around her plate as her eyes drank in the vision setting across from her.

Bucky pushed his plate away, lifting his eyebrows as the thought of taking her on the table crossed his mind. She had just an hour ago praised his skilled tongue, call out to God as she came over and over until they were both soaked in her bliss. But all he could really think about now was taking that bottle of maple syrup and pouring all over her firm, round tits.

"Don't challenge me, Ms. Bennett," Bucky pushed all those thoughts way, but he couldn't convince the erection pushing against his sweat pants to do the same.

Kara slowly drew her teeth over her bottom lip, watching the battle of wills play out over Bucky's very handsome face. She wanted his carnal side to win, wanted to be back underneath the glory that is his hard, muscular body and most defiantly want to feel every inch of his manhood as he stroked her velvet until they were both sated. A hot blush bathed her neck and face in scarlet as the vivid daydream, play out in her mind.

"We can always start training later. How about we take this to the bedroom," her eyes devoured him as she rose from her seat. Bucky gave her a quick smirk as he took her in his arms, kissing her softly before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"No can do. I've been pushing you… us, too hard and we both need a break today," Bucky caressed her forehead as the smile on her face made his heart flutter a little.

"But…" Kara protested for a second, her bottom lip jutting out as she frowned with her eyes.

"Exactly. Get your cute butt in the bedroom and put on some clothes," Bucky let her go and began to clear the table. She felt the ripples of pleasure coil up in her belly as she stood there staring at his perfection. How could she convenience him to stay in today? That was her mission, but then again, nothing said she couldn't have her way with him on a blanket in the yard.

As she slipped on her jeans and t-shirt, Bucky watched her from the bathroom mirror. He had just written in his journal last night about how he felt more like himself when he was with her. He wasn't foolish enough to think he'd ever be that naïve young man that went off to war, but he was damn near the man Steve thought of as his friend when he was with her. Kara held his damaged, broken heart in her hands and it only began to beat when she loved him.

She walked to the bathroom door, leaning her head on the frame and smiling very sweetly back at him. "What did you have in mind today?"

"To get us out of here and away from all this. You deserve more… than..." he didn't get to finish that sentence as Kara tossed herself against him, kissing him hard as her hands twisted in his long, dark hair.

Bucky slowly untangled his beauty from his being, doing so with much effort. He wanted her to be happy and at the moment, her happiness would be them back in the bed. That's not what today was about. Today was them connecting on a spiritual level and not a physical one. He slowly peeled her from him, giving her that stern glare that was always present on his face during training.

"Okay… you win. But don't blame me for trying…" she winked at him as she walked away with her hands in the air.

After she'd finished getting dressed, she met Bucky in the kitchen. Her mouth nearly gaped open when she saw the tight white Henley shirt that clung to every muscle, the fitted black jeans that looked as if they were molded to his ass and the black motorcycle boots that only finished off the look. His raven hair nearly glistened as it framed his exquisite face. Those nearly crystal blue eyes, were shining so bright they made her heart skip.

He placed some covered bowls and wrapped sandwiches in a basket as well as a bottle of wine, with a blanket laying on the counter. Kara made her way over to him, picking up the blanket and holding it to her chest. He smiled at her, cupping her cheek as his eyes caressed her face. She stood there, letting him appraise her with those loving eyes as she did the same. The moment was seared in his mind and not even the brainwashing treatment from Hydra could take it away from him.

"I know Clint said keep it low key, but I thought we could have a picnic in the gazebo by the pond. You really seem to like. I've seen you staring at it… a lot," Bucky let out a chuckle as Kara jumped into his arms, kissing him over and over. Tears of joy flowed from her eyes, her emotions getting the best of her.

"Thank you. We've been held up in this compound way too long. I need to some fresh hair and some down time with you," Kara held him tight, loving how careful he was to hold her with his metal arm.

They walk hand in hand out to the pond as a gentle breeze blew. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the blue horizon stretched out for what looked like forever. This day couldn't be more perfect and they were both overdue for something good.

Bucky stretched the blanket out on the floor of the gazebo, placing the basket beside it. He took her hand as he sat down, pulling her down beside him. Kara's smile was plastered on her face and wasn't about to fade anytime soon. They dove into the basket, pulling out the sandwiches, a bowl of grapes, cheese cubes and pita chips. Kara popped a grape in her mouth, wiggling her eyebrows at Bucky. He shook his head, wondering how she had the energy for sex.

"You complain about not getting any rest and you're giving me those fuck me eyes," he chuckled as she put a grape up his lips and he slowly sucked it into his mouth.

"You're right. We can fuck later… "the devious look on her face only made him chuckle harder.

The sandwiches and fruit disappeared as they talked about their journals, Bucky told her about a picnic he went on once with a girl. It didn't end well and Bucky went home with a sore cheek and soaked to the bone after she pushed him in the lake.

"She was really pissed that I was trying to kiss her. Girls back then were hard to read. A smile could mean she liked you or she was flirting. I considered myself a lady's man, but that often ended up with me getting slapped," the memory faded as Kara's fingertips stroked his cheek.

"I wouldn't have slapped you. I would have loved to meet James Buchanan Barnes in all his glory," Kara gave him a light kiss on his lips, her heart breaking for the man he would never be again.

"Tell me about Kara Leigha Bennett," they curled up in each other's arms, as Kara rested her cheek on his chest.

"My parents weren't big into picnic's but my grandparents were. My grandmother would pack me and my granddad up every Sunday and we'd go out to the meadow by the fish pond. She'd make fried chicken and potato salad and she'd made this tiny strawberry tarts. One summer when Jenny came to visit…" the memory caught Kara off guard and she began to weep.

"Hey… what's wrong," Bucky stroked her back, wishing he could take away the pain and sorrow in her heart.

"I'm fine," she yawned as she stretched her arms out. She was exhausted and all this walking down memory lane had drained her mentally. "How about a nap before we go back?"

Bucky obliged her as he rested his back on one of the gazebo benches, letting Kara rest her head on his lap. He stroked her hair, wishing he had his journal with him. He needed to put this moment in his journal, needed to make sure if his mind was ever invaded again, he'd have proof he was and is loved. He belonged to someone, his heart was claimed.

Kara woke up with a stiffness in her limbs and a soreness in her back. The lunch they had wasn't agreeing with her, but she did her best to keep it down. What was going on with her? She'd trained to the point of collapse before and she shook the after effects easily enough. Then a thought hit her so hard it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs. She jumped to her feet, tossing the blanket and containers back in the basket. Bucky rose up off the floor, staring at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Kara?" he tilted his head to the side, seeing the panic etched on her face. "Talk to me."

"We have to go," that's all she said as she handed him the picnic basket and nearly ran back to the compound.

When Bucky caught up to her, she was on the phone with her cousin Laura. "No… I need to see you. Can you please come here? I know you know where Clint's training facility is. Please just come and bring what I asked for."

"Are you going to talk to me now?" Bucky began to pace the floor, his metal hand flexing.

Kara took a deep breath and stiffened her body. The look in her eyes scared him a little. "I think… I think I might be… pregnant."

The room became cold in an instant and all Bucky could hear was a loud ringing in his ears. "Pregnant?"

"Yeah. It all makes sense now. I'll know for sure when Laura gets here. Bucky… I swear I didn't think you could… father a child. You've been in and out of cryo for seventy years and all the experiments they did on you. It was foolish of me not to be more careful. Please don't be angry with me." Kara reached out for him, but he was still trying to process all of this.

Being a father wasn't something he ever thought he'd be and to be one now wasn't exactly ideal. They were being hunted, by Hydra and their group of blood thirsty assassins. He was a wanted man by the government and she would surely would be imprisoned for helping him. There was no way in hell he was going to keep putting her in danger if she was carrying his child. Being without her wasn't something he wanted to do, but for the innocent child she was carrying… he'd put her safety first.

Bucky walked away, locking himself in the training room as he worked out his frustration on the practice dummy. Kara paced the floor outside, waiting for him to come out and discuss this with her. She waited, pacing the floor until she heard a car outside.

It only took Laura a few hours to get to them. She left the kids with Clint and grabbed a test on her way over. Laura didn't tell Clint why she needed to go to Kara, just that is was woman stuff. He gave her a kiss and hug and told her to have fun. Kara nearly crushed Laura in her embrace when she walked in. Laura felt a little different to her, her stomach not as flat as it had been once. "No! Laura!"

"Yup… got my own bun in the oven. Come here, let's get this done." Laura took Kara's hand as they walked hastily to the bathroom.

Bucky heard their voices, listening intently to the conversation. He waited until he heard the bathroom door close before he exited the training room. To his surprise, he walked straight into Laura, standing outside the bathroom door with her arms folded over her chest and a small baby bump showing.

"You. We need to talk," Laura pointed to the couch in the entertainment room, giving him a look he'd only seen on Sara Rogers's face when she was cross at him and Steve.

"Laura…" he started to say when she began to shake her head.

"You need to ask yourself two things, Mr. Barnes. One… do you love her and two… did you think this was possible yourself?" Laura kept that stern motherly stare on as he pondered her questions.

Bucky looked down at the floor, hating the heat of Laura's glare. He rubbed the back of his neck with his metal hand, his mind so bombarded with everything that had happened and everything that was happening. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on nothing but Kara and what she meant to him. His heart felt tight in his chest when he thought of never seeing her again, but the thought of being a father and spending the rest of his days with their little family made him feel like he wasn't some Hydra freak.

"I love her and I'll never be worthy of her or her love. I want my life back and she's a part of that now. Being a father was something I never considered, but now that it may happen with her, I sort of want it. When I get this Hydra noose free from my neck, I'm going to start a real life with her," he knew their days on the run had come to an end, but he made a promise to himself to do everything in his power to make it out of this.

Laura placed her hand on his cheek, her harsh stare now softened with concern. "She'll stay with me and I'll take care of her. We'll be pregnant and miserable together."

The sound of Kara shuffling her feet caused them both to turn. "This is why I had that vision of Bucky leaving me at Jenny's. That's exactly where I would have gone to if I hadn't been here and if I hadn't called you."

Bucky rose slowly, extending his hand out to his girl. "D.C. isn't safe for you. They're looking for you as well as me and they'll be watching Jenny's house. No, you're safer with Laura."

He kissed the top of her head, wondering if he would ever see her or his child. His arms started to ache as he held her, hoping he would hold his child as well. The organ that lay dormant and cold in his chest was now full of anger and pain. The love they shared was being tested, so much so he almost hoped she forgot about him. He couldn't bare her going through this pain or through this life with so much heartache.

Laura left them there holding each other, the room so silent you could hear a pin drop. When she walked back in with the pregnancy test, she had this look of glee and reservation on her face. "Looks like your little soldiers work after all, Mr. Barnes. Congrats!"

Kara looked up into Bucky's eyes, trying her best not to break down in tears. "We can do this."

His lips moved slowly against her, his hands gently holding her face. He wanted to tell her she was right, that they could, but there were so many obstacles in their way for him to tell her so. She kissed him back, letting her fear of what the future might hold go for the moment.

* * *

 **Thanks for all support. Hope you continue to read and enjoy.**


	32. Chapter 32

The training facility had been there home and they had made some happy memories here. Bucky gave the living area one more look over before he picked up his duffle bag and close the door behind him. Laura patted him on the back, giving him a warm smile.

"We'll get things all settled once we get back home. You don't have to worry about Kara or the baby. Bucky, are you sure you have to leave? No one knows about this place or the farm. You could just stay with Kara, she's going to need you," Laura handed him the keys to the training facility, hoping if he did go on the run again, he'd come back to all those happy memories.

Bucky lowered his head, his heart feeling tight in his chest. "Baron Zemo found her and could have killed her and our baby if I hadn't got us out of there. No, she's better off without me."

Laura stood in front of him, pushing her finger into his chest. "She may be safer without you, but she's not better off. A woman that loves a man like she loves you will never be complete until she has you in her arms again. My heart goes with Clint every time he walks out that door and I only manage to hang on because of Cooper and Lila. As God as my witness, you two will raise that baby… together."

He took her words to heart, holding on to the hope of each one. Bucky wanted that more than anything, to be with his beauty and their baby. That wouldn't be possible now, but he'd never stop trying to make that his reality.

Kara stayed wrapped around him as they drove back out to the farm. Laura led the way, taking a dirt road short cut they didn't know about. Bucky loved the way her arms fit around him, the way her head seemed to be made for his shoulder, even if it was metal. These were the memories he had to hang on to, ones he had to put in his journal so the nights without her wouldn't feel so lonely.

"Please don't leave. I… need you," he could hear her tears in her voice, the tremble of her lips as she begged him to stay with her. His fingers tighten around the steering wheel as he fought with everything in him to not give in to the love swelling in his chest.

"We'll talk about this when we get to the farm," his voiced sounded so cold and empty, causing her hold on him to loosen.

The loss of her grip made the heartache already consuming him latch on harder. For his child to have a life, he had to leave. Maybe his little boy or little girl could be lucky enough to have Steve in their life. People would often say it was James Barnes that saved Steve Rogers, but they were wrong. James did help kick the occasional bully's ass, but it was Steve Rogers that gave James Barnes a home, a real life with love and family that he would never be able to repay. The only other person that made him feel that level of love, that gave him a home without a roof was his Kara. Her love was his home, her arms, his shelter and her smile his sunshine. Knowing his love would be far away from those that would harm them, made leaving her sting a little less.

Kara knew his words were filled with worry and concern and not the bitterness they came out with. The man that she loved had come so far from that man that she saw in her visions. He was his own man, again, and she would give all she had to make sure he stayed that way. Unfortunately, Bucky was right and they had more to worry about than each other. They had a baby that was as innocent and pure as the love they shared. This little miracle was now their first priority, but somehow she had to find a way to keep Bucky in her life too.

They had barely exited the truck when Clint ran up to Kara, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground in a big bear hug. "Congrats. You going to make an honest man out of him, Ginger Snap?"

Bucky took their bags, nudging past the two of them and swiftly entered the house. Clint looked back over his shoulder, giving Kara that paten Barton, _did I fuck again_ , look.

"He's leaving," Kara said as she closed her eyes to the tears that finally freed themselves from her stubbornness.

Clint placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her face. "Hey now, no tears. You're gonna have a little Barnes. I'll go talk to him and you go with Laura to get this pregnant palace up and ready."

A small smile crept on her face, thinking of the unbearable months to come for Clint. Unless the Avengers called him to parts unknown, he'd be trapped in a hormonal hell. "I can't lose him. What am I without him, Clint? I'm just some girl with visions and a mean left hook. I know now he's my future. He's been my past and my present. I can't… I won't expect a future without him in it."

"And you won't have to. If I have to fight to keep him with you… then I will. I see the good man Rogers is always talking about. If he weren't a good man, he would have never won your heart," Clint kissed her forehead as he stroked the back of her head. He knew the truth and so did she. Bucky had to face his demons, even the ones that were hiding in the shadows.

Kara felt like her feet were stuck in cement as she walked into the house. The last thing she wanted to do was kiss him for the last time, hold him for the last time and have him walk away with her heart in his hands. She walked into the kitchen, smelling a fresh pot of coffee on. Laura extended her hand and she took it. "Sit."

Two fresh cups of coffee set before her with a bowl of sugar and cream. She mixed up her coffee, wondering if this was Laura's tactic for distracting her while the men had a nice chat. "Coffee. This reminds me of when my mom had something big she needed to talk to my dad about. They'd make coffee and talk it out."

"Yeah, I know. Uncle Ben told me. Kara, if you need to call Jenny I can get her on Clint's phone," Laura's hand covered hers as they sat there looking at the creamy swirling liquid.

"No, I don't want to involve her. It's best she stays out of this. She's got a good job at Stark Industries and she's got her hands full with dad. I need to handle this on my own," she picked up her cup when she felt Laura's hand rubbing her forearm.

"You have me and Clint and the kids. You have Bucky, no matter where he is… he'll be loving you. Let's go get your room ready and I'll take you to see my doctor tomorrow," Laura could tell this wasn't the time for a deep heart to heart with her cousin. She needed to spend the next few hours with the only person that could give her heart solace.

They made up the spare bed, placing her things in the dresser. Kara kept looking at the door, wondering when Bucky was going to walk through it. Part of her worried he'd leave without saying anything to her. He was a rational man, but he was a man in love too. Laura gave her a quick hug, whispering some words of comfort in her ear.

"We let them go so they can save the world. They come back home to save us," Kara could have sworn she saw a tear in Laura's eye. A smile chuckle escaped her lips as she imaged the next few months with two pregnant women in the same house. Her feet moved swiftly now as she ran down the stairs to find her love.

~~OO~~

Bucky wanted to punch something. He was feeling all this rage with no place to direct it. He paced the back yard like a cage animal, his jaw rippling as he clenched it hard.

"I know exactly what you need, Barnes. Follow me," Clint nodded his head towards the barn as his eyes watched the cybernetic plates in Bucky's arm shift like muscles bunching.

"I should be with her, but I can't look at her while she cries. Fuck! I hate this!" Bucky stomped off to the barn, his hands balled up into tight fists.

Clint picked up an ax and tossed it at him. "I need some new fence posts and you look like the man for the job."

Bucky didn't say a word as he let the ax sink all the way through the very thick log before him. Clint climbed up on the tractor, planting his feet on the fender and began to give him some brotherly advice.

"Take my secure phone with you. Call when you can or send a text. She'll be fine here. I wouldn't let anything happen to her, that you can count on. But the day will come when you're going to have to stop running and face the music and that includes Rogers. I think we both know why you're running from him," Clint watched the last rays of the sun set behind them as the light slipped between the cracks in the barn. Bucky planted the tip of the ax in the log and raised his stern glare to him.

"If you'd done what I have, you'd run too. I'm not going back to that… life, if that's what it was. I exist for their purpose and I would have killed Steve on that carrier…" Bucky stopped, his words starting to choke him.

Clint jumped from the tractor, placing his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "We both know that's not true. You found yourself because Steve believed in you. He told you he's with you to the end of the line, he told you to end it. You saw the truth in his eyes that day, just like you saw the truth in Kara's. Love isn't something you leave behind. It's real and tangible, and yours. Steve believes in you, Kara believes in you and because of that, you're not that man anymore. Prove them right. You have your mission and I have mine, just like Kara does now. She'll keep your child safe, loved and here waiting for your return. I'm with you James… just like Steve… to the end of the line."

"You don't owe me anything, Barton. Why?" Bucky picked the ax back up, holding it firmly in his metal hand.

Clint turned Bucky around to a wooden cradle in the corner of the barn that he'd begun working on. The small cradle was nearly finished, all it lacked was to be painted. "Family… that's why. You're my family now."

Bucky walked over to the cradle, kneeling down at it. He placed his flesh hand on the unvarnished wood, seeing the image of a tiny little bundle with his eyes and Kara's smile looking back at him. A tiny fissure formed down the middle of his heart as he stroked the wood, wishing this was seventy years ago and he'd never left for war. He'd be a good husband, a good father and they'd have a small house in the Brooklyn and Steve would be their neighbor. Life would be so simple and damn near perfect. He'd make sure Kara never wanted for a thing and love her with all his heart and soul. A hurt, he hadn't felt in years punched him in the chest. Bucky fell backwards to the dirt floor, his tears falling down the sides of his face.

"Kara…" he called out to her and she answered him back.

"Bucky… love," she ran to him as he sat up, the two of them holding on so tight not even light could get between them.

"Promise me no matter what, you'll never stop loving me," Bucky whispered to her as he kissed her over and over.

Kara held his face, making him look at her. "They'd have to remove my heart to make that happen."

He picked her up in his arms and carried her back into the house. Laura nudged Clint as they walked up the stairs, smiling from ear to ear. "Good thing the kid's rooms are downstairs."

Bucky laid her on the bed, kicking off his boots and pulling his white Henley over his head. Kara's sorrow quickly turned to a passionate need. Her hands needed to feel all those muscles before her. A thousand years could pass between them and she'd still want him the same. He knelt on the bed, letting his hands ghost over her waist as his lips slowly taste her.

"I want a memory, let's make one tonight," his voice was in a low, raspy tone that set her blood on fire.

Kara pulled him down on the bed, her fingers tracing each and every scar on his shoulder. He trembled under her touch, hating the marred flesh, but loving her touch. She raised up on her knees, letting her fingertips glide down his spine as her lips caressed the metal, then the flesh that was his battle scars. He lay there on his chest, his face turned to her as he took in her profile, her silhouette on the wall and the smell of honeysuckles that floated from her auburn hair. She was beauty in every sense of the word and tonight he wanted all his senses worship her.

She kissed him from shoulder to shoulder, letting her fingers glide from his spine to the waistband of his pants. Her tender touch sent chills over his body, the softness of her skin, giving him pleasure in the simplest of ways. Kara was going to make this night last as long as she could, placing each muscle, each scar and each inch of his perfection to memory.

"Kara," he hummed out in appreciation as she straddled him, her ass now resting on thighs. Her lips stopped at the nape of his neck as she let her right hand push through his dark hair, letting her nails gently scrape his scalp.

He smiled back at her as she licked and sucked at the pressure points on his neck. This was her moment and he'd let her have it. Kara knew it was taking everything in him not to roll her over on the bed and have his way with her. Tonight wasn't about their passions running wild, it was about them being one. Her hands slip over his sides and back up again, loving the moans she got in return.

"Turn over," she commanded as she raised up. Bucky gave her the most heart stopping smile, so sexy she nearly pounced him right then. His eyes of azure pierced her soul as he locked his gaze upon her. She tossed her shirt off and took his large hand, placing them on her bra covered breasts. The feel of his fingers moving over her already hard nipples was heaven. The usual feeling of heat and electricity was now a rapture that consumed her body. It was a new bliss, a euphoria that couldn't be explained. This new connection between them filled her with so much love and joy she could have wept if not for the lips that now claim the flesh of her cleavage.

Bucky's hands moved from her chest to her back, his fingers moving swiftly to unclasp the material between them. She moved her shoulders, letting out a sultry moan as his fingers caused her flesh to prickle.

"Buck, take me," her request was more than a declaration of her current state of arousal, it was a declaration of the conditions of her heart. All of her was all of his and in that moment they shared their souls.

Kara bent her head back, allowing him access to her slender neck. A mischievous smirk played on his lips as he tossed the bra on the floor and twisted his fingers into her long ginger hair. She let out a yelp as his lips lightly kissed the roundness of her breast, licking around her nipples, then pulling one pert bud into his mouth.

"Ah…. Yes," Kara moaned out as he added just enough pressure to make her back arch. His cool metal fingers stroked her spine, adding to the pleasures she was feeling.

He laid her back on the bed as he placed open mouth kisses from her breast to her navel, his fingers unbuttoning her jeans and dipping them into her underwear. She lifted her hips, pushing her mound towards his fingers.

One cool finger stroked her slit until she was soaked, her core so tight she could feel it all the way up to her belly. Bucky pulled the finger from her panties and placed it to her lips, sliding her slickness over her pink petals. Her smell aroused him to the point of pain, he wanted to lock them both in the room and never come back out. Kara wiggled her jeans off her hips, her eyes begging for more of his touch. He gazed at her nearly body, letting his metal hand stop on her belly. He gave her a small kiss there, knowing he may never get to kiss her belly as it got bigger.

"Kara, take me," his requested took her by surprise. He laid there on the bed, his hands under his head as he completely gave himself over to the one being he loved more than life.

Kara looked at him, her body tingling from head to toe. She slowly crawled up on her knees as Bucky slid his jeans and boxers off. She would never get used to the sight of his large, thick cock, hard and ready for her. He was more beautiful than any statue in a museum. No artist that worked in marble or clay had the talent to truly convey his beauty.

Bucky followed her fingers walked up his abs, leisurely sliding over each hard plain. He stayed still as her lips began to kiss each inch of his tan skin exposed to her. She looked back at him through her lashes as her tongue repaid him the favor and swirled around his nipple.

He fought with himself to not touch her and allow her this moment. He jerked his hips forward when she let one finger trace the line of his Adonis belt. Her tongue licked from his navel, down his treasure trail, stopping at the base of his cock. The struggle became greater as Kara slowly slipped her small hand over the head of his erection.

"Kara… sweetheart. Take your time, beautiful." he grunted out between clenched teeth.

As she moved her lips over his cock, she looked back up to him. There wasn't going to be any experience passed up tonight, not one inch of his body left unexplored. If the sun rose in the morning, it would do so with their love stated in every corner of this room.

She teased, licked and sucked him until his fists were buried into the sheets. Her lips moved languidly over his erection, pulling him close to completion and backing off before he came. Her tongue licked from base to tip, taking the salty treat that he offered at the tip.

That was all it took for Buck to lay her back, sliding himself between her parted thighs. The sudden aggressiveness made Kara shiver from head to toe, her core throbbing so hard she was on the edge of cumming.

His cock rested on her hip as he took her hands and held them above her head. She didn't struggle against his hold, instead thrusting her hips forward. Bucky grinned at her as he moved his hips, resting his manhood at the opening of her pink blossom. She closed her eyes as the tip of him entered her, a brisk tingle traveling up her walls as he penetrated her.

"So good," she whispered out as his rock hard cock sunk balls deep.

"Yeah, you are," he whispered in her ear as he sucked on her earlobe. He was so in tune with her body, it was as if they had been lovers for years.

Kara wiggled her wrists, but he held tight to them, pumping his cock in her slowly as his lips ravaged her body. She wanted to touch him, wanted to feel his body flex, the metal of his arm contract as he worked them both towards orgasm. When her legs came up to lock around his waist, he felt her tilt her hips just enough so he was stroking her sweet spot. Her plush walls clenched around his dick, sending tiny jolts through his body. Kara wanted him in her, wanted him to go deeper and take all of her. Her hips gyrated towards him as he thrust in, making his balls tease her. Bucky hissed out as the friction of her movements covered him in her sweet, wet heat.

"Not yet, Kar," he growled out, his blue eyes nearly rolling back in his head. She wiggled one hand free and stroked his scruffy cheek.

"I'm ready. Come for me Buck," her soft voice washed over him, calming the demons that normally torment his mind. There was nothing but them, together in this moment.

Without hesitation, Bucky drove his hips forward and buried his face in her neck. The impact of him filling her so completely hit her so hard she was drowning in her bliss. Bucky expected the sated sensation that usually came with making love to his beauty, but he didn't expect that pure and utter satisfaction that coursed through him now. It was more than sexual satisfaction; it was a heartfelt harmony that only made the moment a hundred times better.

Her core gripped his cock so hard they both began to quiver. She rode out the wave of her orgasm, letting the tidal wave of pleasure drag her under until she felt what he did, their hearts merging into one. Bucky stroked her face as he braced his weight on his metal arm, pushing her wet hair from her forehead. "You look so beautiful when you're happy."

Her cheeks flushed even more as she turned her gaze from him. After taking a deep breath, she turned her emerald eyes to gaze at the endless blue she loved so much. "Happy looks good on you too."

They stared at each other for a long minute before padding off to the bathroom for a quick, cool shower. Her flesh felt overheated, but her heart felt full. Bucky couldn't stop smiling at her, he had never known this much happiness in his life. Somehow the smile felt right, like it belonged on his lips around her.

Kara handed him a towel as they stepped out. He dried off, then wrapped his arms around her freshly showered body and carried her to bed. Kara curled into his body as they drifted off to sleep. Before sleep pulled Bucky's eyes shut, he kissed her lips and prayed this wouldn't be the last time he'd get to hold her. "Never stop loving me, Kara Bennett."

She opened her eyes slowly, trying to fight the pull of slumber. "As long as my heart beats, I'll love you James Buchanan Barnes."

Too soon the sun would rise and too soon they'd have to part, but for now they had this and this was golden.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the support. The story has a few chapters left, but I am planning a sequel after we've all seen Civil War.**


	33. Chapter 33

The feel of a velvet rose petal woke Kara from her sleep. A smile that covered her face beamed back at the man adoring her. She turned over on her right side, taking in the image of Bucky with his dark hair and bright blue eyes greeting her with an equally beaming smile.

"Morning, beautiful," he kissed her lips so tenderly, with so much love that she felt a deep warmth cover her.

"Morning. How long you have you been awake?" she gripped the sheet tight around her, remembering the events of last night. Bucky wanted to make a memory and that's exactly what they did. Bucky's stamina was unlike anything Kara had ever experienced before and he gave her orgasm after orgasm until she was near exhaustion.

"A while. Laura's got breakfast ready," he could see the reservation in her eyes. She didn't want to get out of bed, to walk down the stairs to a world where he would be leaving her.

"Let me get a quick shower and I'll be right down," Kara tossed the sheet back on the bed and raced into the bathroom, quickly turning on the shower and locking the door. She needed a moment all to herself, a moment to face her sadness and let it all out.

Bucky placed his metal hand on the door, waiting for her to call him to her. He stood there listening to the shower water and her sobs. "Kara, let me in."

Kara climbed in the shower and sat down under the warm stream of water. She let the shower wash away her tears as she sat there with her arms curled around her knees.

"Bucky… James, give her a minute," Laura called out to him from the hallway, letting her hands rest on the small baby bump curving under her blouse.

He turned from the door and walked down the hall, stopping on the top step. Turning around to face Laura, he let what was in his heart fall from his lips. "Take care of her. I'll be able to go on if I know she and the baby will be okay. I'll call if I can and I'll send word to Clint if possible, but I don't know if or when I'll see her again."

"You know I will and if Clint can, he'll keep in contact with you. Where are you going?" Laura had to ask, she knew the information might settle Kara's somewhat broken heart.

"I can't tell you. I'm not telling anyone. It's a place that only I know and it's a safe place for me. If… I don't come back and this ends badly, give her this," he pulled a letter from his pant pocket and placed into Laura's palm.

"James, you're coming back, but I'll keep it," she smiled at him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Hey now… that's my wife," Clint moved passed Bucky to take his pregnant bride in his arms. "Bikes all packed up if you're ready to go."

"Yeah. Just need to see my girl first," Bucky walked on down the stairs, grabbing his jacket and ball cap from the recliner.

Kara pulled herself together, letting the last tear fall. She vowed to never let another sad tear be shed for the loss of her love. Bucky had to go, she knew that and she'd work from here to help free him from the past that had him shackled down. He was running from the solider that killed without prejudice and from the look on Steve's face when he nearly took his best friend's life. Kara understood that and loved him for putting her and their baby first. She would gladly walk through the gates of hell for him and that's exactly what he was about to do for her.

She put on a smile and exited the shower. The memory of last night flashed in her mind and a gleeful giggle slipped from her lips. She placed her hands on her nearly flat belly and smiled deeply, "Your daddy is coming back and when he does, we're going to be a family. We let him go now to get him back for good." Clint was sitting on her bed when she exited the bathroom, making her squeal out. "Oh God… I could have been naked!"

"That would have been awkward," he laughed and took her hand. They walked down the stairs where Clint stopped them at the front door. "Go say your goodbyes, see ya later and love you… but remember this isn't about you and Bucky. It's about this."

Kara stared at Clint's hand on her belly, placing her hand over his. "I know."

She gave Clint a hug and walked out to the man pacing by his motorcycle. Bucky stopped in his tracks, not sure if touching her was a good idea. He wanted her to make the first move, afraid the fissure in his heart would open wider.

"I won't say goodbye. You stay safe, stay out of trouble and come back to me," her teeth sunk into her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him so hard her arms hurt.

He kissed her temple, holding her and stroking her hair. "You too, beautiful."

Her heart screamed to hold on to him, but she let him go. All of this would hit her later when she lay in the bed they made love in. She watched as he climbed on the bike, his firm backside stirring something else inside her. "Bucky… wait."

She rushed back in the house and came back out with her leather bound journal. "Take it. It's all my memories and I want you to have a little something of me with you. Don't read the last few pages until the day you are free to come home to me. I love you James Barnes and nothing or no one will ever change that."

Bucky took the journal, placing it with the notebooks she'd given him. All his memories were there, in those pages, and how he had hers as well. The overwhelming need to kiss her pushed him to wrap his arm around her and pull her to him. His lips met hers as he gave her every ounce of love he had, taking her love back in return.

When he pulled away, he smiled seeing the smile on her face. There were no tears, just smiles and love. This was the memory that could carry him through until he could see her smiling at him again. "Love you, Kara."

The motorcycle revved up and she stepped back. She felt Clint's hands on her shoulders as he sped to parts unknown.

~~OO~~

The Romanian safe house was just like he remembered. It wasn't much, but it was safe and he could make his plan to clear his name and find his freedom. The first thing was to get some food, stock up on weapons and get in contact with those he trusted here. As he walked around the small space, he thought perhaps Kara could have come with him. He was as safe here as he was ever going to be, so why couldn't she be safe here too?

That was his heart talking and not his head. He had to be smarter than this, there was much to do and he had to start with regaining all the parts of him that made him James Barnes. Kara had healed his soul, repaired his heart and now it was up to him to regain the man and lock away the monster. As he sat there in the solitude of the dark room, he remembered the last thing the Winter Soldier did. He went back to the vault and destroyed the device that wiped his mind clean and made him a Hydra puppet. His next memory was of him staring back at a man that had died seventy years ago.

Nightmares woke him from his sleep for the first few weeks. He would cry out Kara's name, reach for her in the bed beside him only to find that space empty. He knew who he was when he thought of her, but in the late hours of the night with only the darkness to hold him, all his demons came to him.

Clint left him coded messages on his phone. He only turned it on for a few minutes a day and quickly disabled it when he was done. Steve was still looking for him and with his new partner, Sam Wilson, he was turning over every rock and knocking on every door. He depended on Clint to keep him informed and keep Kara tucked safely away, even from Steve. With this bullseye on his back, no one he loved was safe, including Captain Rogers.

The brief messages about Kara lifted his spirits. She was settling in and bonding with Laura, helping around the house to pass the time. Cooper and Lila had taken to her, treating her like an aunt instead of their cousin. It was bittersweet to know his love was doing so well and know their child was growing more every day. He wrote in his journals and read some of Kara's every night. It helped with the heartache and the onslaught of horrific images that popped in his head.

Days became weeks and weeks became months. Bucky's mission was starting to come together, starting with finding himself. He sat one night as the rain rapped on the bedroom window, with Kara's journal. He wondered what the last few pages held, the pages he wasn't supposed to read until he was ready to come back to her.

He flipped to the page she had turned down, instantly smiling at the large letters she scribbled there.

 _ **Gotcha!**_ _Love you Buck. I will always love you. Until I can hold you in my arms again, know I dream of you every night and love you more every day. Do Not read the last page yet. Yet._

 _Your Beauty – Kara_

He closed the journal, placing it back in his backpack with all the other books full of memories. For the first time in months, he slept without waking up screaming or feeling like he had a hole in his chest.

~~OO~~

Kara put her swollen feet up in the kitchen chair as Laura sat eating her second plate of fried pickles. She closed her eyes and rubbed her very round belly as she her mind wondered to Bucky. She was having imagining a picnic with him, but this time she could hear the sound of their child's laughter behind them.

All she had these anymore were her daydreams. She hadn't had one vision since Bucky had left. It was an odd feeling to go so long without one. When she was younger it was common to go a few years between visions, but she knew now that was because Bucky was in cryo. Now he was very much alive and not frozen, somewhere out there. That knowledge alone made her nervous.

She gave up trying to make a vision happen a few weeks ago. Bucky had been gone for four months and she only got word of his well-being from Clint. She'd get a, he's good, he's thinking of you or the occasional it's complicated but he's still alive. She wanted to wring Clint's neck, but it was for her own good.

Laura rolled her eyes when her cell phone rang, seeing Clint's contact info on the screen. "His latest project is barely completed and now he's off to save the world again."

"That's what he does best. If you don't mind, I think I'll call Jenny, to check in," Kara slowly sat up, feeling the baby kicking her bladder. Laura gave her a small smile, understanding what that look was for.

Kara took her cell phone and made her way up the stairs, slowly. She dialed her sister as she sat on the bed, wondering if today was the day she should let her family in on her secret. "Hey, sis."

"How's things with Laura? It's so nice of you to stay with her while she's pregnant. I know it couldn't be easy for her with Clint gone so much. So… what's new?" Jenny could sense her sister's melancholy tone since the first call four months ago. It had seemed to get better, but her voice was still laced with it.

"Not much. Cooper got all A's on his report card and Lila is becoming quite the little artist. Nate calls from time to time to check on Laura, but she has no idea I'm here. How's dad?" Kara rubbed her belly, wishing she could share her happiness with her little sister.

"Better. He's remembering more of what happened while he was with Hydra. Tony is so sweet to us. He's paying for the psychologist that comes to talk to Dad. He misses you and wants to see you. Maybe after baby Barton gets here you can come back to D.C.?" The question lingered there for a moment before Kara answered her.

"Maybe. I like it here, so I might stay," Kara sighed into the phone, hoping her sister didn't pick up on her reluctance.

Neither spoke for a moment until Jenny couldn't hold her tongue anymore. "Kar, I know you miss him. I'm not so sure he was the man you thought he was. I've been talking to Mr. Stark and he said…"

"Don't. Just don't. Let me talk to dad," Kara had listened to Jenny's reasons why it was best Bucky was out of her life, a few times now and she wasn't ready for another round.

"Fine. But I'm glad he's out of your life," Jenny handed the phone to Ben and stormed out of the room.

"Hey Kara, how's my girl?" Ben was almost himself again, but whatever Hydra did to him had aged him ten years. He had days he couldn't get out of bed and others where he ached all over.

"I'm good, Dad. I love you and I'll try to see you soon. If you see Steve Rogers, tell him hello from me," Kara was about to hang up when Ben said something that got her attention.

"He came by asking about you. I told him you were staying with your cousin while she was pregnant. Don't worry, he doesn't know about Clint. I may be old, but I'm not dumb. He asked me if you were with… Bucky. He thinks the reason you haven't been back to D.C. is because you're with him. Maybe you need to call him and put his fears to rest, my dear," Ben had never sounded so good or so together. Kara knew her father understood her better than Jenny ever could.

"Okay, I will. Love ya," Kara hung up before Ben could say anything else to send her spinning.

Kara tucked the phone in her palm, trying to find the courage to call Steve when Laura walked in. After Clint left to go chase some weapon that Hydra scientist had, she was afraid they'd get a call that something had gone wrong. She knew when the Avengers were involved, it was serious business. "Clint's going to Tony's party, then he'll be home. Must be nice to rub elbows with the beautiful people."

"I don't know. Seems kind of boring to me. Here is where the action is," the two ladies enjoy a good laugh and join the kids downstairs for a game of Go Fish.

Waiting for Clint to come home seemed so easy for Laura. Kara tried her best to have her resolve, her courage, but there were nights when she thought she'd go mad from missing Bucky. She'd rub her belly and talk to their child, praying for a vision or a glimpse of him. Lila and Cooper had grown up knowing their father was a hero, a man that put his life on the line for others. They were Clint's world and because of that, he risked his life to make the world a better place for them.

A call came in a few days after the party from Clint, saying he had a high priority mission he had to go on. Laura looked a little saddened by this news, but she took in stride as she always did. Kara wrapped her arm around her shoulder, giving her a cheery smile.

"He'll be home soon and we'll get to hear all about his mission," she had gained Laura's technique of seeing the glass half full.

Kara had learned a lot from Laura about loving a man that had a higher purpose in life. Bucky was finding his purpose, finding himself and finding a way to convince the world, the powers that be that he wasn't a killer anymore. She had all the faith in the world they'd be back together someday, hopefully soon.

Lila raced in the kitchen after Laura ended her call with Clint. She looked up at her mother with a smile that would melt your heart. "It's okay mommy. Daddy loves us. He'll be home real soon."

It was as if the child knew exactly what her mother needed to hear and said it. Cooper was good at that too, picking up on his mother's cues and doing what needed to be done. They were a family in every sense of the word and Kara wanted that for herself desperately. "Lila is right. Come one, let's go make some cookies."

The cookies were all gone now and Lila was begging for a second batch. Laura told her when her father came home, they would make him a fresh batch of his favorite, but Kara couldn't stand the pouting little puppy dog look on Lila's little face. "Don't tell your mom. We'll go make some peanut butter cookies while she's napping."

They gathered all the ingredients from the cabinet and set them aside. Laura knew of Kara's plan to spoil her child, giving her cousin a wink as she went about her daily chores. The day was a good one indeed as a gentle breeze blew through the half opened window in the living room. Kara felt a familiar tingle rise up her spine and prickle over her scalp. She gripped the kitchen chair beside her as a vision flashed before her eyes. Lila darted out of the room, yelling for her mother as Kara collapsed down in the chair.

She saw Bucky's face, his smile so wide it looked like it hurt. His blue eyes were full of tears as he stared back at her, his face looking weary and tired. "Soon, my little love... soon."

The vision was gone as quickly as it came and Laura stood there in the kitchen with tears of her own and Clint's secure cell in her hand. "It's Bucky."

Her hand shook as she reached for the phone, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. "Hello."

"It's so good to hear your voice, beautiful. I don't have long, just wanted to say I'm okay. How's our baby?" he sounded very tired to her, but his voice was as sweet as any nectar in the world.

"Good. The baby has been moving and kicking a lot. Buck… I love you," she had to say it, had to let him know her love for him was still as strong as the day he left.

"Love you too. Kar... is it a boy or a girl?" he knew it wasn't smart to stay on the phone this long, even on an untraceable one, but he had too many questions nagging at him.

"I don't know. I didn't want to know... not without you. What do you want to name him or her? I know you loved your little sister, Rebecca from the way you wrote about her in your journal. That would be a good name for a girl," she wiped the silent tears that trailed down her face, not wanting to ruin this brief moment with her love.

"I like that. Sarah's a good name too. Just don't name him after me if it's a boy... okay," he chuckled, loving the sound of her laughter back at him.

"Okay. No James or Buchanan then. Maybe Clint or Steve. I don't know. My grandma always said a baby shouldn't be named until you see them. I think I'll wait until then and we'll name them, together." The hope that resounded in her voice gave him hope that the distance between them wouldn't last much longer.

"Sounds good. I got to go..." he couldn't, he wouldn't say goodbye. Kara told him the day he left it wasn't goodbye and he had to believe that.

"See you soon... Sergeant. Love you." The line went dead with an audible tone ringing in her ear. The call, albeit brief, was a blessing and a miracle. To have a vision right as he was calling, it was like the universe was trying to tell her something. The vision itself was strange, as if she was seeing a vision through someone else's eyes. She'd tuck it away to visit later that night and ponder its meaning then.

The smell of warm peanut butter cookies filled the house as the first batch came out. Lila and Cooper were making a welcome home sign for Clint's return as Laura worked on a baby blanket. The sound of something humming in the distance got Kara's attention. She looked out the kitchen window to see the grass in the meadow blowing out in different directions. "Hey... Laura?"

"Kara, go up to your room and don't come out until I tell you too," Laura had this half smile, half reserved look on her face. Kara didn't question as she made her way up to her room. She heard footsteps, lots of them as she entered the hallway. The sound of voices, mostly male filled the house as well as Lila and Cooper yelling of their father. Kara closed the door, wondering why Clint coming home would cause Laura to send her to hide in here room. Then she heard it, that voice... Steve's voice.

Kara listen by the door for a while, wondering how Laura was going to conceal her being there. Clint had to know bringing Steve here would only raise questions in his mind and finding her in her current condition would surely give away her relationship with Bucky. There had to be a good reason or a dire need for Clint to ever divulge this family or his home to those he worked with.

Half an hour passed by before Clint knocked on her door, bringing someone along with him. "Wait here," he told the person in the hallway as he waved Kara to step back.

"Cats out of the bag, Kara. I'm sorry, but it's time... time to come clean with Rogers," he took her hand, stroking her knuckles as she faced the truth of her reality.

"I know. Did you tell him anything?" Kara watched as Clint shook his head, leaving her to deal with Steve's shock and awe.

"I'll send him in. Just remember, Barnes is his best friend, his brother... he's in this with you." Clint let go of her hand as he opened the door and told Steve to go on in.

Kara sat in the armchair by the window, fluffing out her blouse to hind her round belly. She placed her hands over her lap and waited for Steve to enter. He looked every inch the amazing man she knew he was as he walked in dressed in his star spangled best. His blue eyes appraised the room, then her as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Clint told me you were here, that Laura's your cousin. I guess I'm in for two shocks today. Looks like my speculations about you were wrong. Sorry for bothering your family, Kara. Have you had any more visions or contact with him?" Steve studied her, watching her movements and how still she seemed to be sitting. There was something not quite right here and he knew it.

"No. I haven't. Sorry ... " she wet her lips, trying to mustard up the courage to tell Steve the truth. "I do have something I need to tell you... well, show you," she stood up slowly, letting her hands cradle the bottom of her bulging belly. Steve's eyes went wide as his face scrunched up.

"Wait. You're pregnant too? Is… are you… Bucky?" Steve ran his hand down his face as Kara gave him a small smile. She nodded her head, looking like a child that had been caught being bad.

"I'm sorry I lied to you. I was with him, have been since D.C. I found him right after he saved you. I think we need to have a long talk," Kara reached her hand out to Steve and he took it as she led them down the stairs and out the back door. They walked to the barn where Tony watched them go in. Steve pursed his lips together, crossing his arms when they stopped just inside.

"Why? You could have told me… trusted me. Where is he now?" Steve wanted to be upset with her but he couldn't. Her eyes lit up when she talked about Bucky and the way she said his name reminded him of the way he would act when he talked about Peggy Carter.

"I honestly don't have a clue, Steve. If I did, I swear I'd tell you. I'm alone in this… just me and the baby. Laura and Clint are family, but I'm afraid to put them in danger. Very bad people are looking for him and one of them know about me. He came after me and if they find out I'm carrying his child; they'll use me against him. Please… forgive me. I need your help," Kara found her words coming out so quickly she couldn't stop them. She really did want Steve's help and he could help her bring Bucky home, safe and sound.

"Stay here, for now. Once we handle this mission, I'll come back for you. I owe it to Buck to keep you and his baby safe. I'll make some arrangements, but it might take me a while. If you get a call from Maria Hill, she'll be calling you for me. I need to know you won't keep anything else from me. We need to be on the same page, Kara. Am I clear?" he regretted being so stern with her when he saw the tears rim her eyes. She had lied to him, right to his face, knowing how badly he needed to find his best friend. Bucky was lost, his mind not his own, but Steve was glad he found some peace, some little part of himself again with Kara.

Kara agreed to do whatever Steve said, without hesitation. Steve opened his arms, letting Kara walk into them. They stood there holding each other when Tony walked in. "Cap… a word."

* * *

 **A big thank you to all of you that are still here, that have been here from the beginning and those that have left reviews. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks for all the support.**


	34. Chapter 34

The black sedan pulled up with Maria Hill inside. Kara gave Laura, Clint and the kids a hug, giving little Nathaniel a kiss on the forehead. She knew this was the right thing to do, especially with her own little bundle of joy on the way. Laura didn't want her to go, her tears told her that much. This was the only option Kara could think of that kept the Barton's out of all her mess and now that Clint was retired, she had to keep that part of his life separate from this family.

"I'll be okay, Laura. Captain Rogers will take good care of me," Kara gave her another hug, trying not to cry herself.

"He better. Kar... please tell Jenny about the baby. You're going to need your family," Laura looked back at Clint, hoping her husband would chime in. Clint shook his head and took Kara's bags out to the car.

"I'll call as soon as the baby is born. Love you." Kara darted out the door behind Clint, wanting so badly to stop the ache in her heart.

Clint placed her bags in the trunk, giving Maria a wink as he walked off. Maria held the back door open, her smile making Kara feel a little less apprehensive. Kara didn't say a word as Maria climbed in the back with her and they neither women speak until they are far away from the Barton farm.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Maria asked as she took out a tablet.

"How much did Steve tell you?" Kara asked back, not sure how much of her recent history she should divulge to Ms. Hill.

"Steve said you're important to him and that you're in need of our assistants. He also said, you have abilities. I've done my homework, Ms. Bennett and I know about your family, your sister and yes... even your recently not so dead father. Jenny and I are very close and don't worry, I won't tell her anything. Captain Rogers has been very insistent that you and the baby be kept off of any government records. As far as anyone knows, you are an enhanced and we are helping you control your abilities. The Avengers Compound is the perfect place for you and I've got a room all ready for your needs, including a nursery. You'll be living with the Avengers, so try to keep to the common areas," Maria tapped on the tablet screen, looking up from time to time. She wasn't sure why Steve was keeping Kara such a secret or who the father of her baby could be. It had crossed her mind for a brief moment that this child could be Steve Rogers's love child, but he was too honorable a man for that.

"The Avengers Compound? Okay... " Kara wasn't sure how she felt about this. She didn't know if she could continue her search for Bucky and be under constant watch. Kara didn't know why her visions had been so sporadic or why she couldn't sense Bucky any more. She feared the worst, most days and other days wondered if Bucky's mind was starting to fail him again.

The Compound was massive, stretching out for what look like forever. Steve was waiting for the car with a rather pretty girl. He opened the car door, offering Kara his hand as she gingerly got out. The girl's eyes went wide when she saw the very large pregnant belly Kara was sporting. "Kara, this is Wanda. Wanda, my dear friend Kara. I think you two may be able to help each other."

Steve took Kara's bags and walked inside with Maria. Wanda smoothed out her skirt as she waited for Kara to say something. Kara placed her hands atop her belly and smiled back at her. "Kara... Bennett. Nice to meet you."

Wanda motion towards the common room entrance, keeping pace with Kara as they made their way in. "Wanda Maximoff, nice to make your acquaintance."

They passed several people on their way in, including Sam Wilson. Sam gave her that deep charming smile, as if he had a secret and he did. At least there was one person here she could converse about Bucky with. It wasn't her nature to lie, but lately she had gotten really good at it. Such was the nature of the best and she was willing to do what it took to get her love back.

Wanda walked her down a long corridor with rooms on each side. It was obvious they were living quarters from the way the doors were spaced like that in an apartment building. "This is your room. I was wondering why they were putting in a nursery. Once you get settled in, I will show you around. Then we'll get to work on your, abilities."

"Thank you, Wanda. If you don't mind, could we skip the guided tour for now. I'd like to get right to work on improving my gift," she looked around the room, finding it to be homey and inviting. Steve had pulled out all the stops, making sure the small nursery was right beside her bedroom.

"Alright then. I'll get Maria and we'll begin," Wanda gave her a curious glance, not really sure what to make of their new pregnant guest.

~~OO~~

Maria told Wanda what she knew about Kara's gift, mostly what she learned from Jenny. Since Wanda possessed the knack for mind control herself, she was sure she could help Kara dive deeper into controlling her gift. Maria suggested it was best to not push too hard until the baby was born. They all agreed to take small steps for now, starting with meditation. Kara sat in what looked like a very clinical room with its white walls and black leather seating. She sat back in the oversized chair as Wanda's voice lulled her into a state of calm and peace.

"You say you can see only the father of your child and recently you've been seeing Captain Rogers, is that correct?" Wanda walked around the chair, letting a scarlet light ebb from her hands.

"Yes. I've seen Steve but I'm linked to Buc… my lover, but I can't see him anymore. My gift became active when I was ten and I've only ever seen his future, seen him. I can't tell you much more... it's complicated. I need to see more... do more with this gift. If I'm ever going to have a future with the man I love, I need to be able to control this," Kara closed her eyes, trying to spark some image of Bucky. Wanda looked across the room to Maria before she pulled a chair up beside her and took her hand.

"I'm going to give you a little... push. If what Maria tells me is true and your family gift is passed on from mother to first born daughter, then perhaps the child you're carrying will have this gift and we can use that to help you develop yours." Kara already knew the answer to that. She'd seen glimpses of Bucky through someone else eyes, her daughters. This child was strong and already had the gift she had to wait ten years for. Whatever the reason for their daughter being so enhanced, Kara was going to do her best to keep her sheltered from those that would use her or harm her.

Hours pass by with Wanda giving Kara little nudges, trying to break the dam that was blocking off her abilities in her mind. Kara would start to see an image, out of focused and blurry, then lose it before she could make anything out. The baby kicked several times, doing a flip once. She sat up, gripping her belly and looking at Wanda with frustration all over her face.

"Perhaps she needs a break," Steve said from the doorway, his tall, muscular frame nearly filling the space.

"Yeah. I do," Kara rose up slowly, only to pitch forward. Steve leaped in front Kara, catching her before she hit the floor.

"You need to eat and rest," he braced her weight with one arm as he helped her back to her room. She hadn't felt this protected since Bucky had left.

Kara sat on the edge of her bed while Steve brought her some food. Wanda walked passed with a man that looked as if his skin was purple. This was going to take some getting used to, being around people with powers. The purple man looked as if he was floating, as he and Wanda entered her room.

"Hello, welcome to our home. They call me The Vision. If there is anything I can do to help you in your endeavor, please do not hesitate to ask me. Ms. Maximoff and I will collaborate on your behalf. Again, welcome." The moment was almost surreal to Kara. He spoke like a computer program and sounded like one too. Things here were indeed different, but she felt right at home.

Steve brought her a sandwich and an apple, telling her the cafeteria was opening around the clock or she could have food brought to her room. She picked at the sandwich as her mind wander to Bucky. Steve sat down beside her, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry... got lost," she smiled back at him when the baby kicked hard. She grabbed his hand without thinking and place it on the bottom of her belly. Steve's grin covered his face as he felt the tiny nudge against his hand. The smile made her think of Bucky and the fact he was missing out on all of this. She leaned closer to Steve as she fought with the sadness that filled her heart. He hugged her tighter, letting her know it was okay to cry.

As her tears streamed down her face, she got a dizzy feeling that made the entire room spin. She looked up into Steve's blue eyes and saw Bucky's instead. Then the vision took her over, making her body go stiff.

Bucky paced the ramshackle room as he slammed his flesh hand into the side of his head. "REMEMBER!" he shouted over and over until he stopped at a table covered with the notebooks and Kara's journal. The pages before her were filled with drawings, maps, buildings and faces of people he tried to recall. He picked up Kara's journal, letting his flesh hand caressed the leather binding. He recalled her face, the way she smiled at him, but her name escaped him. He picked up the red notebook, reading the page he had nearly worn out. "Kara. Steve." he said over and over, trying to remember the names that he was sure were important to him. Then a smile slowly formed on his lips and he remembered her. The room spun again and Kara was transported to a cold stone room with metal tables and people in white lab coats. The man from the river, Baron Zemo, was standing there giving orders in what sounded like German. The people scurried about, bottling up this clear liquid and handing it to him. He tucked it in his pocket and walked down the cobblestone street, darting inside an alleyway. He looked up to a window with a sinister smile, gazing up at Bucky.

"Kara!" Steve's voice was raised an octave as he held her face in his hand.

"I saw him. He's in trouble. The man... from the cabin... he's doing something to Bucky's mind. He was getting better and now... he's lost himself again," Kara gripped Steve's shirt as she tried to get the vision to play again in her mind. She needed to know if these events had already taken place or were about to. She needed more, she needed Bucky.

Steve tried to calm her down, holding her until she stopped trembling. There was a fear in her eyes that unsettled him, quaked him to his soul. This woman that loved his best friend and was carrying his child, had become very important to him too. Steve could tell how much she loved Bucky and that she'd do anything for him. It was that devotion that made Steve see Kara in a whole new light. Bucky was his brother and now Kara would be his sister, together they would find him and bring him home.

"Tell me everything you saw. No detail is too small Kara," he held her hand as she tried to remember everything she saw. The stone room was fresh in her mind as she gave Steve a precise summary of her vision.

"I'm sorry," she hung her head, still clinging to Steve's hand. Steve's thumb stroked her knuckles as he gave her a board smile.

"For what? You're helping and we will find him," he let go of her hand and handed her the tray of food back. Kara gave him a half-hearted grin, feeling so much remorse for lying to him.

"If I had just been honest with you from the beginning, Bucky would be here and he'd be getting the help he needs. He was starting to regain his sanity, finding clarity, but I fear that because he's without me now, he's become lost again. He'll never be who he was before, but he's trying so hard to get that part of him back. He remembered you, even took me to Brooklyn. Steve, whatever that madman is doing to him, it's changing him. I fear Hydra still has their iron claw around his throat... they are still pulling his strings," Kara placed the tray on the bed and walked over to the massive window by the wall. She stroked her belly, thinking of what a real life with Bucky would be like.

Steve walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It doesn't matter if they are still pulling his strings... I'll cut them. They don't own him and I'll make sure of that."

She felt the conviction of Steve's words, let them wrap her up in a false comfort. She believed Steve would do exactly as he said or die trying. She had to do her part too, and that started with maximizing her gift. She ate her meal, then went off to find Wanda. The first room she came too happened to be the Avengers training room. The massive hanger could easily house a jet plane.

"Hey there pretty lady," Sam said as he walked up behind her.

"Hey, Sam. So... I take it Steve told you everything. I'm sorry that you were on a wild goose chase the last few months. That's my fault," she couldn't help but smile back at him. She instantly felt comfortable around him, as if they had been friends for years.

"No problem, I'd rather be out there looking for him than out there with the A team fighting the metal menace. You looking to train or just curious?" he helped her down the steps, being as chivalrous as he was charming.

"I need to train, but not with my muscles. I've done enough of that, for now. I need to work this muscle," she points to her head, getting a nod back for Sam.

"That's what I'm here for," Wanda waltzed in with a swagger that Kara found reassuring.

Sam stepped aside, giving Wanda a chuckle as she took Kara's hand and led her back to the white room. She prepared herself for a long night of pushing herself to her limits and hopefully with Wanda's help she'd be in control soon enough.

~~OO~~

"That's enough," Steve yelled as he walked into the room. Maria handed him the tablet in her hand. Wanda backed away from Kara, leaving her resting on the leather couch.

"We're making progress. She's already had two visions. Yes, the same one twice, but we're getting closer. The last one she conjured up on her own," Maria noted the spikes in her mental capacity when that happened.

Kara removed the headband as well as the EKG and EEG sensors from her body. Steve looked at the data Maria had compiled, but couldn't get the scream from Kara out of his head.

"I can handle it Steve," she tried to plead her case but Steve wasn't listening.

"What did you see that made you scream like that Kara?" Steve handed the tablet back to Maria and sat down beside Kara. The thought of causing Kara any sort of pain was out of the question for him. She'd been through enough and there was no way he was going to put her through any more.

Kara took a deep breath before she dove into that subject. Steve asked the others to leave the room so he could have a private conversation. She stood up and began to pace the room. "Bucky. Well, not Bucky, but the Winter Soldier. I saw him shove his metal hand through someone's chest. I'm recalling images on command now. I wanted to see the worst of what he'd done, so I might understand what horrors he was reliving in his mind now."

"You've only been here two weeks. Stop pushing yourself so hard. This baby will be here soon, that's what you need to be concentrating on right now. You're taking a few days off." Steve stared back at her, his cool blue eyes saying what his lips couldn't. He was worried about her, worried about the baby and he owed it to Bucky to keep her safe, to keep them safe.

"Okay, you win. I'll go for a walk or read or something," Steve caught her hand before she could walk away, shaking his head back at her.

"No. You need to see your family. You haven't talked to Jenny or your dad since you got here. It's time to tell them... about this. Jenny knows about Buck, so what do you have to hide. I'm taking you to D.C., I've got some work I need to do there anyway." The look on his face let Kara know he wasn't taking no for an answer. She did miss her family, her father and it was time she faced the music.

The next morning, she was up early, packing a bag and settling her nerves. She wasn't sure how her family would take the fact she kept her pregnancy a secret. She was just weeks from bring her and Bucky's baby girl into the world and if she couldn't have Bucky here, she was glad she'd have her family and that include Steve Rogers.

Steve was quiet, unusually so as she walked out to the truck and placed her bag in the back. He gave her a smile, but it seemed off to her. There was something weighing on Steve's mind this morning. Maybe it was the business he had to attend to while he was in D.C.

"You're being quiet today. What's wrong?" she asked him as he helped her up in the truck.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he replied rather quickly. Steve didn't want to burden her with his troubles, but if there was anyone he could lean on it would be Kara.

"Too late, Mr. Rogers, I'm already worried about you. Tell me or I'm going to sing disco all the way to D.C.," she gave him a giggle as he gave her a don't you dare glance.

"I'm going to see an old friend that is very sick. This might be the last time I ever see her," Steve kept his eyes on the road, hoping Kara would drop the matter.

"Peggy, right? I'm sorry Steve. Sam told me about Peggy and how much she means to you. I can go with you if you want me to," Kara took his hand, hoping to give him some of the comfort he had given her.

Steve shook his head as he pulled his hand away and gripped the steering wheel tight. They change the subject to her visit with her family and the baby. Kara let all her nervous energy out as she babbled on about Jenny not exactly being a fan of Bucky's and how worried she was still about her father's mental state. It did her some good to get all of that off her chest and it did Steve some good to get his mind off a very ill Peggy.

They pulled up to the townhouse just after noon as the mid-morning traffic started to slow down. Kara exited the truck, wishing she didn't have to slip her flats back on her swollen feet. Jenny's car was parked on the curb which made Kara wonder why she wasn't at work. She already knew the answer to that question, Steve had already told Jenny they were coming.

Jenny darted out of the townhouse as they approached the front door. She was about to give her sister a hug when she noticed her belly. "Kara?"

"Surprise," Kara said with a crooked grin. All the blood left Jenny's face as she became a sickly pale. Steve took Jenny by her elbow to steady her, letting out a chuckle.

"You're..." Jenny couldn't get the words out, stammering all the way back to the house. Kara took her sister's arm, letting Steve take their bags.

Jenny's complexion finally turned back to the tan Kara was used to. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw as Kara hugged their father. Ben gave her a long hug before he began rubbing her full belly. "I'm so happy for you Kara. I'm just sorry your young man isn't here to share this with you. I'm sure once he gets back, you'll be very happy together."

Kara looked at her father, not sure if Jenny had told him the details of Bucky's disappearance. Jenny shook her head, keeping that steely glare. Jenny only told Ben what she had to and tried not to upset him. He was walking the same line of lucidity that Bucky was and it was a fine line at that.

"Me and you need to have a long talk later, Kara Leigha," Jenny muffled out between gritted teeth. This was going to be a sister smack down and Steve could see it all over Jenny's face.

"That talk is going to have to wait until later. How about we go out for a bite to eat," Steve placed his arm around Kara's shoulders, kissing the top of her head as he lean over on his shoulder. She mouthed a thank you back to him and he gave her that your welcome grin.

There was so much tension at lunch you could have cut it with a knife. Kara didn't look over at Jenny and Jenny picked at her salad. Ben did most of the talking as he reminisced about his girls being babies. Steve tried to smooth things over with Jenny when Kara excused herself to go to the restroom. Jenny was icy at first, but soon warmed up to Steve's brand of persuasion. Steve made Jenny see that she only had herself to blame for Kara keeping the baby a secret. "You don't have to accept her choice in men, but you do have to respect her wishes. She loves you and needs you, so swallow your pride and be her sister."

They finished up their lunch with the sisters finally talking. Jenny put away her animosity towards Bucky and did as Steve asked. Ben leaned back in his chair with a pleased smile, enjoying having both of his girls back. Kara took her father's hand, squeezing it just a little.

"Therapy seems to be working for you, Dad. Are you still talking to your psychologist?" Kara looked into his eyes, seeing the reflection of the man she remembered.

"I am making some big breakthroughs with Dr. Heinrich. He's opened my mind up to so many things. You'd like him, Kara. We were discussing you and Jenny just the other day. He told me to be more present with you girls so that I can remember more of my past. I believe he'll have me back to my old self real soon." The absolute joy in Ben's voice, matched the glee that shined in his eyes. Kara loved seeing him like that and hated to admit that Steve was right, she did need this.

Ben gave them both a hardy chuckle when the cell phone in his pocket began to ring. Kara gave him an impressed looked as he took it out. "Look at you, Dad. Catching up with the 21st century."

"Don't tease him, Kara. I have a lot in common with your father. I don't much care for all this technology either," Steve said as Ben walked off to take his call.

"I'm only teasing Steve. You know, you are technically older than my father," Kara teased him as he tossed his napkin at her.

"I'll give you that one, just the one, Kara." The laughter and sassy banter had lifted Kara's spirits. She would be ready to get back to work with a full heart after this trip.

Jenny took the bill when it came, telling Steve it was her treat. Kara looked outside the restaurant for her father, wondering where he had gotten off too. She walked out to the door, looking up and down the street when she saw Ben sitting on a bus bench, his cell phone on the ground.

"Dad... you okay?" Kara rushed to him as quickly as she could, only to be greeted with eyes she didn't know. It was her father, but his face and his features were covered in malice as he stared back at her. He stood up, nearly stomping towards her as he lifted a handgun from his side.

"You... must... die," Ben fought with himself as he lifted the gun, pointing it at Kara.

Out of nowhere, Steve ran out and tackled Ben to the ground, but not before the gun went off. Jenny's scream was enough to chill the blood in Steve's veins. He wrestled the gun from Ben's hand as he tried to look back at Kara. She was laying on the sidewalk, with blood trickling from a wound. Jenny ran to her, kneeling down and applying pressure to her chest. "Call - 911!"

Ben looked up at Steve, wiggling around until the gun was pointing back at himself. He knew what he had done, but there was this compulsion to finish what he started. A voice in his head telling him to end it. He pushed the voice away long enough to get a message to Captain Rogers. "Steve... don't trust them... they will turn him like they turned me..."

Before Steve could pull the gun free from Ben's hand, he fired it once more, shooting himself in the neck. Steve immediately gripped his hands around Ben's neck to stop the blood flow. "Why, Ben? Who did this?"

"Russia... 1957," that's all he said as his eyes closed shut. Steve felt for a pulse, but it was too late, Ben was gone. He left Ben on the sidewalk as he hurried over to Jenny and Kara.

Steve took over for Jenny, placing his hand over the wound just below her shoulder. Kara was grimacing in pain as her hands clung to her belly. "The baby… she's coming."

"Jenny, you stay here and wait for the authorities. I can't wait, she's in labor. I have to get her somewhere safe," Steve turned back to look at Kara as her tears began to roll from the corners of her eyes.

Kara knew she was in good hands, but she could feel her chest getting tighter. Breathing was becoming difficult as another contraction rolled through her abdomen. Blood, tears and Steve's forced smile stared back at her. Images were becoming a blur, but that much she made out. Steve's bloody hand reached down to take hers, his fingers squeezing so hard. "I'm with ya…" his words trailed off when she answered him back.

"This ain't the end of the line, Rogers," Kara's hand held tight to Steve's as she watched the smile widen on his face. "I'm not going anywhere."

Steve lifted her up in his strong arms and race at lightening pace back to the truck. He placed her inside and drove like a bat out of hell to get her to military hospital that SHIELD had often used. He pulled out his cell phone, getting her blood on the screen as he called the one person he needed most at this moment. "Fury…"

* * *

 **Thank you for your support. I promise to resolve this cliffhanger as soon as possible.**


	35. Chapter 35

Kara wasn't' sure what hurt more, the pain coursing through her chest or the contractions gripping her abdomen. She held tight to the jacket Steve hand placed over her wound as he raced down the crowded D.C. streets. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was the barrel of the gun her father held in his hands. Why did he do this? Why did he say she had to die?

As she tried to breathe through the last contraction she heard Steve talking to someone. His voice was calm, but each word had a tint of stress to it. "Fury…"

"Steve… the baby," her only thought was for the child she was carrying. It didn't matter to her if she didn't make it as long as a part of her and Bucky lived on.

Steve looked back over to her, his eyes scanning her quickly before he continued his conversation. "You know I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't an emergency. I'll fill you in later, but I need your special doctor and I need him now."

Steve ended the call, thanking Fury for his help. He could only hope that help would be waiting for them. He wasn't sure how much blood Kara had lost or how fast that baby was coming. One thing was for certain, she needed more than Captain America right now.

A few blocks later, the truck fishtailed around the corner of the hospital and down into a nearby parking garage. The contractions were getting harder and closer together, making Kara grit her teeth. She had never felt pain like this before, her body seemed to be baptized in fire that was burning her from the inside out.

"I got you," Steve parked the truck next to a white van, jumping out quickly and running to the passenger side. He scooped Kara up in his arms and was greeted by a well-groomed man in a three-piece suit, with wavy brown and large brass rimmed glass.

"I'll tend her while you drive, Captain Rogers. Fury called and said this was a top priority. I've got an office not far from here, but it will be just you and I," the man climbed in the van, while Steve placed Kara on a gurney in the back. He gave Steve the address quickly as they drove out of the garage. Fury had faked his death once and used the same doctor to get back on his feet. If Nick trusted this man with his life, Steve knew he could trust him with Kara's.

All Steve could think of was getting Kara to someplace safe. Was this a Hydra attack? Was there a cell or a faction of them still left? This was a real threat, one that had already cost Kara her father. Steve wasn't going to let it cost her the baby or her life. He drove out to the brick building, the entire ordeal giving Steve a feeling of deja vu. Kara kept her mind preoccupied with trying to force a vision of Bucky. She closed her eyes, concentrating on Bucky's face as Wanda had taught her to do, centering everything else out as best she could.

"Soon… my little love… soon," she could hear Bucky's soft voice, feeling the warmth of his hand on the back of her head. It was as if he was holding her and reassuring her he'd be with her soon. Then his face came into view, his eyes as blue as the sky on a clear day, his smile as loving as ever and his face beaming with pride and joy.

"Kara… I'm a doctor. You're in good hands," the doctor went about examining her, conversing back to Steve her condition. "The bullet isn't deep, I can get it out rather easily. This baby is coming and fast, she's almost fully crowned. You're going to have to help me, Captain Rogers."

They had her out of the van, rushing through the back of the building and down a long corridor as the vision of Bucky faded. Steve took her hand, feeling the weight of the world resting on his bared shoulders. He could do this; he would do this… for Bucky.

The doctor went to work as soon as he got her into a room. They placed the gurney next to the small exam table and Steve helped her over on it. The doctor pulled the stirrups out, placing her feet in them as he took a quick look to check on the baby. She could tell this was a clinic of some sort, not really set up to care for a patient in this capacity. The doctor began to pull different things from the cabinets, obviously using a secret stash he had for a purpose just like this.

"Steve," Kara was trembling, her legs shaking as the pressure to bear down become too much to take.

"I'm right here. I'm not leaving your side, I promise," he stroked her auburn hair, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"This is going to hurt. I can only give you a local anesthetic, but I don't have to go deep. The bullet is small caliber and didn't enter the tissue too deeply. I have to get it out, stop the bleeding and get you stitched up before we get that baby out. Captain Rogers, I'm going to need you to monitor the process of the child…." The doctor stopped with a large grin on his face as Steve tossed his hands up and blushed a crimson red.

"Me? Kara, are you going to be okay with that?" Steve stepped back, watching as the doctor went about cutting her dress from her. He turned his head, wishing he didn't have to breach Kara's modesty. She was his best friend's girl and this felt all wrong. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Kara and the baby needed him and he had to put all his reservations and chivalry aside.

After the doctor completely disrobed her, he draped a sheet to cover her. Kara gripped the side of the table as the anesthetic needle went it. This wasn't exactly how she pictured having her baby. She wanted Bucky, wanted him there to hold her hand and watch as their child took her first breaths in this world. One single tear fell from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. There would be not sadness, not today. If it was the last thing she ever did, Bucky Barnes will hold his baby girl.

Steve noticed Kara's somber mood, watching as she briskly swiped a tear away. He stepped up beside her and placed his hand on her cheek. "He might not be here in body, but he's here just the same. We both carry him in our hearts and as long as our hearts beat, Bucky will always be here."

The smile that burst from Kara's face made the room light up. Steve had this new found exuberance that gave Kara the strength to do this. She locked eyes with him, letting her smile infect him. "I don't think I could do this with anyone else but you, Steve. Bucky would want it that way."

A hard contraction jolted through her back and she had to fight the scream building up in her throat. The doctor, donned in his gloves and surgical mask, letting them know it was time to begin.

~~OO~~

The sunlight skimmed Kara's auburn hair, making it shine like a new copper penny. Bucky ran his fingers through her long locks, listening to her talk about a picnic she went on when she was younger. Today was almost a dream, as if he wasn't really here. A dark cloud rolled overhead, taking away the sunlight. He moved his eyes from the beauty before him, watching as the sky became a gloomy gray. A storm was coming and he had to get them both back to the house.

When he turned to take Kara's hand, she wasn't there. "Kara!" he shouted as he ran towards the lake. As he approached a large oak tree, Steve stepped out. Bucky froze in place, staring at the man he once called friend.

"She's gone. Did you really think you leaving her would save her? You left a lamb with wolves at the door," Steve held up his hands with blood dripping off his fingers. A clap of thunder boomed overhead, then a flash of lightening. Bucky stood there watching as the lightening hit the tree, setting it on fire.

He jerked up in the bed, covered in sweat. The room was stifling hot, like being trapped in a sauna. His bare chested heaved in and out as he shook the dream off. It was a dream, just a bad dream.

"I remember," he whispered out to the empty room, doing his best to hold on to that memory. Tossing the thin sheet off, he raced to the table in the kitchen and shoved the notebooks around until he found Kara's journal. He flipped to the last page Kara told him to wait to read. The words on the page cause a thousand memories to spark in his mind, ones that for some reason had been stolen from him again.

 _Stop running. Come back to me. Come back to the life and the baby we made. Hydra took your old life and your memories, but they can never take our love. Read your notebook, remember your friends, your family and remember you are loved. I'm waiting. Kara_

Bucky couldn't shake the feeling Kara was in trouble. Steve came to him in his dream for a reason. He could barely remember Steve or Kara a few days ago and now it was like his mind was finally clear. He ran, left her there with a baby on the way to keep her safe. If Bucky was being truthful with himself, he knew he was running to keep Kara safe from himself. After that night he snapped and nearly choked her to death, he held a fear deep inside that he could do it again. The ticking time bomb that lived inside him was just one breath away from exploding. He had some terrible nightmares since he'd been at the safe house, that's why most nights he didn't sleep at all. Kara was the one and only thing that kept the nightmares away and kept him rooted to who he really was. He was lost without her and as much as he was sure he didn't deserve her; he couldn't stand the thought of something happening to her or to their baby.

"I'm coming, Kara," he slipped on his jacket, hat and backpack before he locked up the safe house and made his way back to the woman that made him feel alive.

The hours crept by so slowly, he was about to go out of his mind. Bucky couldn't get to Kara fast enough and the boat he had stowed away on wasn't moving fast enough for him. He'd have to find a faster mode of transportation at the next port. The feeling that something awful had happened and he was going to get there too late took hold in his mind, making it impossible for him to sleep or rest. As soon as the boat stopped, he crept up to the top deck and made his way down the anchor chain. The port was full of other ships, but none of them looked fast enough to get him back to the states. A man with a long white beard, dark pea coat and black fiddlers hat walked over to him. Bucky stopped, pulling his ball cap down over his eyes.

"Young man, do you need help?" he asked as he tucked his hands in his coat. Bucky shook his head and began to walk off the dock. The man continued to follow him, making Bucky dart behind a stack of shipping crates. "I can help you if you help me."

Bucky slowly stepped out from the crates, his metal hand balled into a fist. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially an old man. "How can you help me?"

"I have a plane. You help me fix it and I'll take you where you want to go. I spent the last of my money buying the parts. My wife is very ill and I need to get to her. I've been working, sending money back to her and our daughter. I can see you have someone you need to get back to as well. What do you say?" the old man extended his hand and Bucky shook it. It was an arrangement Bucky could live with as long as the man didn't ask to many questions. He told him just that as they walked to a hanger near the docks. Bucky wasn't sure the bucket of rust before him could get them back to the states, but he was going to do his best to get it going.

The old man tried to make small talk as Bucky looked the plane over. "Name is Mack, what's yours?"

Bucky looked up over the engine he was working on, his blue eyes narrowing. He didn't want to make friends, he just wanted to get back to Kara and their baby. The old man kept talking, even though Bucky chose to ignore him. He talked about the fishing village her grew up in and how he met his wife. His wife, Catlin, became ill several years ago and that's how his family ended up in New York. It was a miracle that this man found Bucky and was also heading to New York. They worked on the old seaplane until early morning. Mack remarked on how much Bucky could eat and how little he slept. The old man wasn't so bad to keep Bucky company. He took the hint that Bucky didn't want to talk and only shared his stories when Bucky took a few breaks. A drawing of Kara fell out of Bucky's backpack as he picked it up to put it in the plane. Mack handed it to him, smiling from ear to ear.

"I don't blame you for being in a hurry to get back. Love will do that to you," Mack climbed up in the plane and gave the engine a turn. It puttered and spurted, slowly roaring to life. Bucky pumped his fist, watching Mack give him a smile from the cockpit. "Let's go, son."

The memory of getting on-board a cargo plane with the rest of the 107th as they flew from the army base to Europe came back to him as they plane took off. He remembered worrying about Steve and if he'd be alright without him. He slunk down in the seat, pulling the ball cap over his eyes. Sleep had been pulling on his eyelids for the last few hours, so he gave in and closed his eyes.

"You okay, son?" Mack asked him as Bucky jolted up in the seat. Bucky stared at him, before looking out the plane window.

"Where are we?" Bucky clutched his backpack as he wondered if he'd done or said something he shouldn't have. Mack gave him a hardy chuckle as he lowered the plane just a bit.

"See that? We're near New York Harbor. You've been out for hours. You sleep as hard as you eat," Mack laughed again as he prepared the plane for landing. Bucky stiffened up in his seat, ready to jump out of the plane as soon as possible. "Since I'm sure you don't' have a passport or any documentation, you might want take off while I handle the port authorities."

The plane landed in the harbor and Bucky jumped out, leaping onto the dock next to them. He ran full out towards a row of warehouses, darting in between the buildings. He hoped he hadn't been spotted and Mack wouldn't get in trouble for helping him. Finding someone that genuinely wanted to help him and didn't ask a thousand questions was a rarity for him. Mack had noticed his metal arm, but just smiled back as if it were nothing.

He couldn't help but wonder who Mack really was. He seemed to have a secret of his own and from the way he accepted Bucky without question only made it that fact clear. Perhaps someday he'd run into him again and get the chance to thank him for helping him. Right now he had one mission, to get to Kara.

Walking by a warehouse, he heard the sound of a motorcycle revving up. He crept around the corner watching as two young boys, that appeared to be in their teens, laughed and joked about something. The boy on the bike was holding down the brake, making the bike tire spin. The bike looked fast, fast enough to get him to the Barton farm.

"Hey... Let me try," the tall blonde boy said to his friend as he ran this hand through his unruly hair. Bucky clipped his backpack on and began to slowly walk towards them. The boys looked up in his direction, one tossing a cigarette to the ground. "Hey you, you can't be back here. Dock workers only."

Bucky never lifted his head as he grabbed the boy and tossed him off the bike. Before the two boys could react, he spun the bike around and gunned the throttle. The boys were yelling for help but it was too late, Bucky was headed for the open road.

Luck had never been on his side much, but for some odd reason luck had put all the pieces in place for him to get back to Kara. His mind concentrated on that one task, to get back to his Kara. What was he going to do once he found her, he wasn't really sure? Could he ask her to go on the run with him, with a baby? He already knew she'd say yes and give up any sort of life to be with him. The real question that kept nagging at him was, could he be that selfish to let her?

The bike ran out of gas ten miles from the Barton farm. He couldn't take the chance the police would be looking for it, so he ripped off the license plate and tossed it over a ravine. His luck was starting to wear out, but he was still very determined. After tucking his ball cap in his jacket pocket, he began to run. He ran as fast as his body would go, up hills and down valleys until he was at the top of a knoll overlooking the farm. Laura was hanging wash out on a line and Clint was mending a fence. Bucky placed his cap back on and made his way towards Clint.

Clint looked up from the fence post he was hammering on to see a man walking towards him. He stood all the way up, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Bucky?"

"Yeah, it's me, Clint. Is Kara around?" Bucky stopped on the other side of the fence, looking for any trace of his auburn beauty.

"You don't know?" Clint tossed the hammer down as he jumped over the broken section of fence. Bucky stepped back, feeling his heart beating a little faster.

"Is she... okay?" Bucky could feel his world start to crumble. Was he too late, had something happen to her and their baby?"

"No, nothing like that. Steve found out about her. Don't ask, it's a long story, but she left with him. She's at the Avengers Compound. I believe Jenny called Laura yesterday, something about Steve bringing Kara for a visit. If you want to see her, you might catch her at the townhouse in D.C. Your best way in would be the basement entrance. Do you still remember it?" Clint couldn't fight the smile pulling on his cheeks. He knew the love Bucky and Kara had run deeper than either of them were willing to admit. Bucky was a man on the run and for him to come back here only proved he couldn't deny himself the one thing that made him happy.

"Yeah. Thanks Clint," Bucky turned to walk away when Clint called his name and tossed him a set of keys. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at gift Clint had so graciously gave him.

"Take the truck. It's practically yours anyway," Clint chuckled as he walked off, picking up the hammer and nails on his way.

This would be another memory; another moment he'd have to add to his notebooks later. If not for those scribbled pages, he would be lost. It was like his mind fought against him daily, as if it was trying to reset itself. There was no doubt, all those torturous treatments Hydra gave him had permanently damaged a part of his brain. His memories seemed to seep away like sand through and hourglass and others that clung on until he could catch them again.

With the image of that smiling, green eyed beauty in his mind, he climbed in the truck and made his way towards the townhouse just on the edge of D.C. He stayed focused on Kara, the way she breathed when she was sleeping, the way she moaned his name when they made love, the smell of her hair as it lay fanned out over her pillow, the feel of her soft skin that made all those wanton feelings burn deep inside him, but it was the way he felt loved when he was around her that mattered the most.

He kept to the county roads, only taking the interstate when he had to. When the quiet little community the townhouse was nested in, came in view, Bucky's heart skipped a beat. He was going to see his Kara and hold her in his arms once again.

While he parked the truck, he saw Steve walking with Kara down the sidewalk. Tears filled his eyes when he saw how big her belly was, her face lit up with a smile for her sister. His eyes were glued to her, unable to move out of the truck. The minutes passed by as he sat there, pondering on how to get Kara alone. He could use the basement entrance, but with Steve there he really didn't want to risk it. That meeting was one he wasn't ready for, if he ever would be.

Luck turned his way again as the four of them, Ben included, left for a cafe on the corner. Bucky followed them, pulling the truck up to the corner just across from the restaurant. He watched as they had their lunch, Kara laughing from time to time. He missed the sound of that laugh, the way her nose would twitch when she got really tickled. When she followed her father outside, he thought this was his moment. Ben was talking to someone on a cell phone, then dropped it and picked up a brown bag sitting by the bench. His hand pulled something from the bag and placed it in his pant pocket. Something felt off to Bucky, like he'd watched this scene play out before.

Bucky climbed from the truck when a bus blocked his view. He had just cleared the back of the bus to the other side of the sidewalk when he heard a gunshot. His body stiffened up when he saw Kara lying on the sidewalk bleeding and Steve had Ben tackled to the ground. His feet moved him towards Kara, his eyes looking all around for anyone that looked like trouble. Steve scooped Kara up in his arms and raced her to his truck. Bucky froze for a moment, then something in his brain snapped. He was done running and hiding. His dream came true, his lamb was now bleeding and possibly dying all because he left her to the wolves.

He was quickly on Steve's trail, following him into a parking garage. When they put Kara in the back of a van and drove past the hospital, he thought Steve had lost his mind. Was there a threat he could see that Steve did? Bucky knew Steve would be looking for someone following them, which made him linger back further than he liked.

The small clinic out of town didn't look like it could care for someone in Kara's condition. Bucky fully trusted Steve and didn't doubt he'd do what was right for Kara. As he exited the truck, he nearly pulled the door off its hinges. He had to move quickly to see exactly where they were taking Kara. Waiting until the front door was closing, he caught it and followed them inside.

The sound of Kara's voice made the ache in his heart return. How did he forget her, forget that sweet voice? The need to be by her side took him over, but the more rational side of him, the soldier, made the next move. He darted into the exam room beside them, placing his ear up to the wall. Here he would wait until the moment was right.

~~OO~~

The searing pain from her shoulder was nothing compared to the pain of giving birth. Steve held her hand as the doctor coached her on. With one last push, she felt all the pressure and pain fade away. The sound of her child crying out caused tears to prick her eyes. Kara looked up at Steve as he let his tears fall as well.

"Do you feel that, Kara? Steve asked as the doctor cut the cord and wrapped the baby up.

"I do. I feel him," Kara said back as she reached out for her child, holding the goo covered baby girl to her chest. Steve sat on the side of the bed, wrapping his arm around her.

"She looks like him. She has his nose and chin," Steve couldn't get over this feeling of awe that surrounded him now. He'd give the world if Bucky could be here and experience this for himself.

Kara stroked her baby's cheek, pushing the matted dark hair from her forehead. "He told me not to name a boy after him, but she's not a boy."

"What did you have in mind?" Steve smiled down at the wiggling bundle, knowing this would never be in his future.

"Sarah James Barnes." The name felt right as she said it. Steve nodded back to her, letting one more tear fall.

"Bucky would love that. Thank you for this... for naming her Sarah," Steve moved off the bed as the doctor continued to work and examine Kara. "I'm going to check outside and call your sister. Kara...I'm sorry about your dad."

The thought of her father hadn't entered her mind. A tint of sadness started to cloud her happy moment as Steve kissed her cheek and left her to her thoughts.

The doctor finished up with her, telling her she did very well and the baby was just fine. She'd need to take it easy for several days while she recouped from the bullet wound and blood loss. The stitches in her shoulder were smarting something awful as she held little Sarah in her arms. She lost her father and gained a daughter all in one day. If only she had Bucky here, this moment wouldn't be so bitter.

She tucked Sarah beside her as she drifted off to sleep, her body so exhausted she wasn't sure how she was still awake. She heard the door open, but didn't open her eyes, thinking it was Steve coming back in to check on her.

The bed shifted as the baby was lifted from her side. Kara opened her eyes just in time to see Bucky standing there, holding Sarah as two perfect tears fell from his eyes. "I'm going to be free soon my little love... soon and then we'll be a family."

"James... we can be a family now. Take me with you... please don't leave me, leave us again," Kara reached out to him and he wrapped his metal arm around her as he held their daughter tenderly.

"I won't leave you. I can't. Are you sure you want to do this?" Bucky kissed her lips softly, letting the cool metal of his finger slide over her cheek.

"Yes. Let me have her and I'll send Steve away so we can leave. I don't care where it is, as long as I'm with you." Kara kissed him back, loving the feel of his scruffy face.

Bucky gave Sarah a soft kiss on the forehead and handed her back to her mother. She watched him check the hallway before he darted out. They were going to be together and that was more than Kara could have ever hoped for. It was obvious there was a real threat out there for both of them and after the incident with Ben, she knew she'd never really be safe. Kara quickly jotted out a note for Steve, planning to tape it to the door later. She raided the medical supplies the doctor had stashed away, trying her best to stay calm. Sarah began to cry, letting her mother know she was hungry.

Steve came back in, blushing instantly when he saw her nursery the baby. "Whoa... sorry. Uh… Jenny can't make it right now. Maria will help you with whatever you need. So what do you need? We got a few hours, Doc says he doesn't want me to move you for an hour or so."

"Can you get me a change of clothes, please." Kara gave him that sugary sweet smile she used on her grandmother to get her way.

"Sure, let me call and have Maria drop some off. Anything else?" Steve kept his back to her, making her giggle.

"Carrier for the baby, diapers... you know the usual baby stuff. Steve, would you help Jenny with the arrangements for my father?" he nodded back to her as he pulled out his phone. Maria was there within the hour with clothes and baby supplies. Jenny called, letting her know she would see her at home. Kara told her about the baby, telling her the name and that she was alright. Jenny was busy dealing with the fallout of their father's death and Tony Stark himself was with her.

Steve and Maria left the room to let Kara change and get the baby ready after the doctor checked them both again. She put a pale pink sleeper on Sarah and brushed back the thick dark hair on her tiny head. The dress Maria had purchased for Kara fit perfectly as did the shoes. She tied her hair back in a bun and made her way with the bags and baby down the hallway. Steve and Maria were discussing what happen in the restaurant as she slipped out the back door. Bucky pulled his truck up next to the back door, waiting patiently in the alleyway for her to come out.

He jumped into action when he spotted her, taking the bags and tossing them in the back of the truck. With the baby strapped in securely between them, he sped away, hoping to get his little family back to the one place he felt was safe. Romania.

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 **Thanks for reading and supporting this story. There is more to come.**


	36. Chapter 36

The motel in the middle of nowhere wasn't ideal, but Kara was too pale for Bucky's liking and the baby hadn't stopped crying for the last ten miles. They had left the clinic so quickly Bucky didn't get the chance to make sure Kara was feeling up to the long trip. He should have known after giving birth to the most precious little girl he'd ever seen, she'd need to rest and recoup.

Bucky made her stay in the truck as he went in to get them a room. She picked Sarah up out of the carrier, smelling the diaper that so needed changing. "Momma is so sorry, baby girl. I promise once we get settled things will be better."

"Ready," Bucky said as he opened the passenger side door. Kara placed her foot out and Bucky shook his head. He lifted both Kara and the baby up in his very strong arms and carried them to the room not far away. Kara loved being in his arms again and hoped to never be parted from them or him again.

He sat her back down on her feet as he handed her the room key. Kara stroked his scruffy cheek, giving him the smile he loved so much. "I told you, I'll be happy as long as I'm with you."

"I know and I hope to give you the world," he kissed her lips softly, getting lost in the fullness of those two perfect rose buds.

Her lips lingered on his a little longer than they should have as the baby began to wail again. "She needs a diaper change and fed again. You can do the honors if you want."

Bucky backed away, shaking his head with a very wide smile. "Next time."

Kara entered the room, instantly wondering how many murders had been committed here. The bedspread looked like someone had recently had sex on it, the pattern on the floor looked like it was moving and the smell was right out of a dumpster. Kara wasn't going to place her newborn on that bed, so she held her until Bucky came back with the bags.

"What?" he said as he walked in, placing the bags on the bed and checking out the bathroom. "Uh… don't go in there."

"We just need to rest, a few hours and then we can get back on the road," Kara placed a sheet she'd stolen from the clinic over the bed and began to change Sarah's diaper. Bucky watched how gently and affectionate Kara was with their little girl, thinking he could never do that with the cybernetic hand of his.

Kara looked over her shoulder, noticing how intently Bucky was watching her. She cleaned up and diapered the baby, making sure to take care of the umbilical cord. Bucky sat on the other bed as he shrugged off his jacket and cap. His blue eyes went wide when Kara placed Sarah in his arms.

"You're not going to break her," she said as she sat down beside him. Bucky wasn't so sure of that as he adjusted her little head in the crook of his elbow. Sarah wiggled around, her little mouth making this tiny O as she yawned.

He was immediately smitten with this pink little bundle of dark hair and blue eyes. She was perfection in the truest form and he helped make her. Bucky gazed up from this precious gift to look into the green eyes that had captivated his heart.

"We did this. I'm not sure I'm father material, but I'm willing to find out. There is no way I'm ever going to let the poison in me ever hurt her," he looked back down at the baby now sleeping peacefully in his arm and kissed her forehead. "You got the bum rap when it came to father's, kiddo, but I'm going to do right by you and your mother. This is one memory they won't ever take from me."

Kara looked through the baby bag for a bottle, so Bucky could feed his daughter. Maria had packed a little of everything the baby could need. She was supposed to be on her way back to the Avengers Compound and not on the run. They'd have to get more supplies for the baby once they got to where they were going. After making up the bottle, she handed it to Bucky as she placed a burping cloth over his metal shoulder.

"I know you said not to go in the bathroom, but I could really use a shower. You got this, daddy," Kara gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking the things Maria had brought for her.

"Kara… wait," Bucky held the baby close to him as he stopped her at the bathroom door. "I was serious about not going in there. You take Sarah and I'll find us a room that isn't so… "Bucky gave her a wink as he placed Sarah in her arms and hurried out the door.

"He can stand in the face of death and not blink an eye, but give him a baby and he runs," she giggled as she sat by the window, feeding Sarah.

The bottle was half empty when Bucky came back in the room. Kara had her over her shoulder, patting her back lightly. The vision of Kara holding their baby and smiling back at him was exactly why he came back. "Got a room. The best one here. The manager was willing to give us a free, upgrade."

"And how did you manage that, Mr. Barnes?" Kara rose to her feet with an incredulous smile on her face.

"He's still breathing if that's what you mean. Let's just say we came to an understanding." The smile he gave her back made the ache in her heart all but disappeared. The hole that had grown inside her was instantly filled up with that one, beautiful smile.

The room Bucky had acquired for them was what the manager called the penthouse suite. It was neither a penthouse or a suite, but it was nicer and hadn't been used in a few weeks. The large king size bed had cleaner looking linen and the décor wasn't something out of the movie psycho. Kara took a deep breath, feeling exhaustion settle in her bones.

"Let me have her and you go take that shower," Bucky lifted Sarah from her mother's arms, cradling her gently in his metal arm. "Go on."

Kara slowly made her way to the bathroom, not wanting to miss anything between father and daughter. Bucky sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her tiny cheek as he stared down at his sleeping angel. Kara finally closed the bathroom door with a smile that wasn't going to fade anytime soon.

The shower was just what Kara needed. She felt a little more like herself, the warm water soothing the soreness she'd been feeling. The pain in her shoulder was still stinging as she dried her hair. Pain was nothing new to her and not even this pain could douse the happiness she felt.

"Buck…" Kara stopped in her tracks when she saw Bucky fast asleep with Sarah on his chest. She wanted to curl up beside them, but she didn't want to wake him either.

His metal hand rested on the baby's back, his face so relaxed and full of real contentment that Kara wanted to freeze this moment for all time.

She brushed out her hair and sat on the edge of the bed. Bucky felt the bed move just slightly and waited for Kara to lay down beside him. When she didn't, he opened one eye and turned his head towards her. "Hey you, I got another arm."

Kara gave him a cheery grin as she made her way over to him, placing her arm around his waist and kissing the top of her daughter's head. Bucky' s arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "This is home. This will always be home."

"Yes, it is. I can't promise you a lot, but I can promise I'll love you," Bucky felt complete for the first time in his life. He may not remember much of his old life, but this new life just felt right to him.

The sound of a small grunt woke Kara, her eyes slowly opening as she rolled over to her side. "Ouch."

Bucky turned to her with baby Sarah in his arms as his metal hand held a bottle. She was gulping down the formula and making the cutest sounds. "Your shoulder?"

"Yeah. Did you change her?" Kara sat up, rolling her injured shoulder.

"Changed, fed and ready to go. We have to get to the docks and before the morning shift takes over," Bucky took the bottle from Sarah's mouth, wiping away the formula on her chin. The soft tone of his voice as he spoke to his daughter while placing her in the carrier caused tears to spring in Kara's eyes. "Daddy's got you, precious. We're going home. Моя маленькая любовь."

"What did you say to her? Was that… Russian?" Kara redid her hair in a bun and slipped on her shoes.

"Yeah, I'll have to teach you both. I call her, my little love," Bucky tucked the blanket around Sarah and gave Kara a kiss.

Bucky packed up the truck while Kara cleaned the room. She didn't want to leave any trace they had been there. On their way to the harbor, they stopped for some take out, the two of them scarfing it down like hungry wolves.

The seaplane that had carried Bucky to New York was sitting in a warehouse just off the north pier. He was sure he could fly it out as long as they didn't get caught. The old rust bucket had to be good for one more trip. He made his way down the ramp, getting the attention of the dock worker standing there.

"Do you know where the owner of that plane is?" Bucky pulled the collar of his jacket up, his blue eyes looking up and down the dock.

"Mack? He left it here for some guy. You'll want to see Owen; he's got the paperwork." The man walked off, pointing to the office building just past the warehouse.

Leaving Kara and Sarah in the truck, Bucky walked into the office asking to see Owen. A man that could have been Mack's twin came out, giving Bucky a hardy handshake and friendly smile. "You must be the magic man that got the old Sea Hag running. Mack I'd know you by your prosthetic left arm. Any man that's served his country is a good man in my books. The name is Sasha, Mack's my brother."

"Can I take the plane now?" Bucky wanted to get back Kara and the baby, feeling a little antsy. He didn't feel comfortable with the man giving him such accolades.

"Yeah… just need to do a little paperwork first," Sasha pulled out some documentations and Bucky started to back away. "Hold on friend. This is what I do. I helped Mack get into the country, helped his family too. You did him a favor and he wanted to do you one in return. Wasn't sure when you'd turn back up. Here, paperwork for the plane and documentation for the load you're transporting. You got passengers?"

"Yeah… two," Bucky walked to the door, looking up the dock to the truck. Kara was still sitting there with Sarah over her shoulder. "Got my… wife and baby."

"Alright. Just need a place of destination and I'll do the rest," Sasha gave him a quick nod as he went to work on getting Bucky clearance for the trip.

Just a half hour later, the papers before him were for Mr. and Mrs. Cojocaru. "You will have to transport a body back, so the port authorities won't be too nosey, but it will get you back to Romania. Not sure why you want to go back, but that's your business. Safe journey."

With the paperwork tucked in his jacket pocket, he got Kara and the baby and put them on the plane. She wasn't so sure about the flying monstrosity, but if Bucky said it would fly, she'd trust him.

When the plane roared to life, a smile broke out over Bucky's face. "Told you it would work. I'm just that good."

"Yes… yes you are. In so many ways," the wink and flirty grin on Kara's face gave Bucky thoughts that would have to tuck away for a few more weeks.

The plane had been in the air for a few hours when Bucky looked over to Kara with a puzzling look on his face. "Why did you name her after me?"

"You liked the name Sarah, because of what Sarah Rogers meant to you. I gave our daughter your name because you're going to mean that much to her. Before you tell me you're not a good man and that you've done horrible things, I will say that your past won't matter to her, nor will she ever know. You are a good man with a good heart and the Winter Soldier isn't part of you anymore. You are her father, my lover and Steve's best friend. That truth is all she'll ever need to know," Kara laced her fingers with his, giving his hand a good squeeze.

Bucky hoped his ginger beauty was right, that his little girl would look up to him and love him like he loved Sarah Rogers. The home and love she provided for him as a young boy still resonated with him. He didn't see himself as a man that deserved to be loved, but he was going to do his best to make his little girl feel loved.

They made it to the safe house in Romania without any complications. The small little town with its street side vendors and houses that were squeezed so tightly together, there was barely room to move, was her home now. She told Bucky her home was in his arms and that's what she meant. If this is where Bucky felt he could keep them safe, keep himself out of the hands of those that would harm him, then this was home.

Kara could only hope her visions would aid in keeping them protected. She had to help Sarah understand her visions and help her deal with having them. Her own mother died before she had a chance to fully embrace her gift and she was going to make sure that didn't happen to Sarah.

Bucky carried Sarah upstairs, speaking in fluent Romanian to the people they passed in the building. Most were curious about the baby, others just being friendly. Kara covered her head with a scarf, finding it best to conceal her identity. Steve and Sam would no doubt be looking for them and with their connections, it was better to not give anything away.

Kara entered the small apartment, taking an inventory of everything that needed to be done. Bucky had been living the bachelor's life and it was obvious from the state of his living quarters. She opened up the small fridge in his even smaller kitchen to discover not only was it not plugged in, but full of guns and bullets. She turned to him, giving him a teasing smile.

"You're going to need another refrigerator," she said as she closed it back, looking closer at the notebook that was peeking out of his backpack on the counter. She looked back at him, watching as he held his daughter so tenderly to his chest. His metal hand lay gently against her tiny back as his flesh hand cradled her head.

"Who would have ever believed the hands that once took like would hold a life," he rested his lips in the baby's hair, rocking her from side to side.

"You're not that man anymore. You don't do that anymore. I keep telling you that. So, shall be we start on a new page in your notebook, Mr. Barnes," she walked up to him, wrapping her arm around him, wincing just slightly at the pain from stretching her stitches.

Kara cleaned around the small apartment while Bucky went to the market to get them something to eat. She sang the lullaby her mother would sing to her while Sarah napped on the bed. The room seemed to go dark as her eyesight blurred around the edges. A vision slowly formed in her mind, playing out in slow motion. She was in the market with Sarah on her hip. Bucky was just in front of her, going through a basket of fruit when Sarah becomes fussy. She walked back towards their apartment when she stopped just outside, looking up to their apartment window. There staring back at her was Captain America.

"Steve…" she mumbled out, holding Sarah closer to her. Steve looked down on the market below, his blue eyes locking with her green ones. Kara tried to race back to Bucky to tell him, but he wasn't there anymore. She could feel the panic that had frozen her to the spot, grip her heart.

The vision faded, leaving her heart racing hard against her chest. She looked over at Sarah how was wide awake and cooing back at her. This vision was a warning something bad was going to happen if Steve had finally found them. Kara would stand and fight before she'd let anyone take her Bucky captive ever again.

~~ **To Be Continued ~~**

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 **A/N: Thanks reading and reviewing. I will continue the story after I have seen Civil War. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so I will put a possible spoiler warning on the chapters that may contain canon from the movie. Again, thank you.**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: This is a little filler chapter I couldn't get out of my head. It will be in Steve's POV only. I hope you enjoy and thanks for all your support**

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Maria showed up with enough baby supplies to fill a nursery. Steve thanked her as he took the bags from her, mulling over the plan to get Kara and the baby back to the Avengers Compound. There was a threat out there, a real threat that had turned an otherwise mild manned man into a thoughtless killing machine. Steve couldn't shake the last words, Ben Bennett said to him. Russia. 1957.

"I know that look Steve. What's rolling around in that brain of yours?" Maria gave Steve that narrow eyed look she often wore when Steve was trying to hide something.

"I'm sure you're up to speed on the incident at the restaurant. We can discuss it later, I need to get Kara and the baby settled so we can get back to the compound," he gave her a quick smile before the entered the exam room.

Kara gave him that big, bright smile he had grown accustomed to. If it was the last thing he did, he would make sure that smile stayed on her face and that began with finding Bucky and reunited him with the family he now had.

"I didn't know exactly what you needed so I bought a little of everything. I hope the clothing fits," Maria began to pull out a dress, underwear and shoes for Kara. Steve sat the other bags down and picked up a sleeping Sarah. He held the small baby in his big strong arms, looking down at that angelic face as she slept.

The love he already felt for this little girl filled his heart and made it ache at the same time. Bucky should be here, should be holding his little girl. There was hope that Bucky could be himself again, that the man that dragged him out the river was James Buchanan Barnes. The Winter Soldier existed because of Hydra, but it was plain as day to Steve that Bucky was still there, somewhere. Kara was the key to getting his friend back, she had breached that impenetrable wall that Hydra had placed in Bucky's mind and found the man that he remembered.

"I promise until I get your daddy back, I'll protect you," Steve softly kissed her little head as he turned his blue eyes gaze to Kara.

"Steve… thank you and I'd really like it if you'd be her Godfather… Uncle Steve," Kara gave him a wink as she stepped behind a curtain to change. Steve placed Kara in the carrier Maria had brought and asked Maria to take a walk with him.

The turmoil that plagued Steve's mind was getting harder to navigate through. He was looking for Bucky, trying to keep Kara safe, do his duties as Captain America and train the new Avengers. He wasn't one to buckle under pressure and now would be no different. He had a job to do, one that he could not fail at.

"Maria, we need to keep this thing with Ben as quite as possible. Do a quick, family ceremony for Ben, so his girls can mourn and bring Jenny to the compound. Kara will need her sister there to help her with the baby and transition to a life without their father, again.

"Whatever you need, I'm here for you. Tony is paying for the services and if you want to move them to closer to the compound we can. You have something else on your mind?" Maria was good at what she did and Steve could always count on her.

"I can't get the image of Ben out of my mind. He had that same lost look Bucky had on the carrier. I can't put my finger on just yet, but everything in me screams that the two are connected. You don't take a dying man's last words lightly and neither will I," he ran his hand down his face, letting out a long, deep breath.

"We'll get to the bottom of this Steve. We always do," Maria took out her cell phone, tapping away on the screen. The doctor rounded the corner with a prescription for Kara.

"She can't breastfeed and take these, but she does need to take them. Can't run the risk of the wound getting infected. Other than that, they are both in good health. Take good care of her Captain Rogers. I have a feeling she's very special," the doctor patted him on the back and stepped into his office.

Steve wasn't sure how having a newborn at the compound was going to work out, but he was confident they'd make it work. Wanda had taken to Kara instantly and Kara seemed to heal a gaping wound in Wanda that had been there since Pietro died. The baby was going to be good for all of them.

"I'll get the car and you get Kara and the baby. Oh… Steve we need to talk later. I found out something very interesting from Jenny about Kara that I don't think Kara herself knows," Maria slipped her phone back in her pocket and exited the building.

The smile on Steve's face began to fade as he slowly made his way back to the room Kara was in. He had this feeling something was a little off as he got closer. He found his feet picking up the pace, his heart racing just a little.

"Kara…" Steve called out as he threw the exam room door open. She and the baby were gone and so were all the supplies Maria had brought. Steve turned on his heels and ran towards the back of the clinic, finding just the pink blanket that Kara had Sarah wrapped in laying on the ground.

He ran back to the clinic, screaming for Maria when she stepped out of the exam room with a letter in her hands. "I believe this is for you."

Steve took the letter, looking down at the messy handwriting. Kara's words ripped at his heart as he read them, feeling the barrage of emotions that flew from her fingers to the page.

 _Steve_

 _Please forgive me for what I had to do. I can't tell you where I'm going or when I'll be back, but know I'm in good hands. I'm sorry yet again, I've disappointed you, but someday I promise to make it to you. Thank you for friendship, for your love and especially your understanding. I will never be able to thank you enough for taking care of me and Sarah. I meant what I said about you being her Uncle and Godfather. This is not goodbye. This is see you later. I love him more than even he knows and I need to give him that love to bring him back to both of us._

 _Kara_

Steve stared at the letter for a while, ignoring Maria's attempts to get him to focus. "Steve, she couldn't have gotten far."

"No. She was gone before she left, Maria. The best thing I can do for Kara and the baby is let her go. I will find her, but right now she has to find him," Steve gently folded the letter up, slipping it into his pant pocket and walking out of the clinic.

On the drive back to Jenny's townhouse, Maria dropped a small bombshell. Jenny had found her a letter her mother had left them the night of her death. "Jenny found the letter tucked in a book her father owned. It was a book she would read to the girls every night before they went to sleep. The letter told them that their mother had a vision of her death, but said it had to happen. Her death was the first step to what Kara will become. The that Kara kept seeing one man for a reason. Kara's child will be more special, more powerful than anyone could ever imagine."

Steve slammed the brakes, sending Maria jolting forward. "Why are you just telling me this?"

"I didn't know she was going to run off. I thought I had time to tell you both. If she and that baby fall in the wrong hands… well, I don't have to tell you what that means," Maria's eyes fell to the floorboard as Steve pulled the car back on the road. The burden on Steve's shoulders just doubled and it felt it bearing down on him.


	38. Chapter 38

Metal fingers move a tangle messed of dark curls from a tiny forehead. Sarah stirred in her sleep, stretching out her little arms as her father doted over her. These small moments of serenity gave him hope that he can grasp a little slice of normality for himself. His self-imposed exile from Kara only brought him sleepless nights and an ache in his heart that festered like a sore.

"Can you watch her while I go for a walk?" Kara stepped out of the bathroom as she twisted her hair through the back of a ball cap.

"Where you off to?" Bucky asked as he pulled a blanket over his waking baby girl.

"Out. Don't worry, I got this," Kara tucked the small handgun in the back of her jeans and slid Bucky's jacket on. He gave her a curious glance, but didn't question her sudden need to get some fresh air.

Bucky rose up from the bed, his bare chest and broad shoulders, making it hard for Kara to walk away. Staying and making love till noon was always an option, as long as Sarah cooperated. She had something she needed to do and it had to be done soon. Bucky's loving embrace gave her strength, kept her safe and offered her a home she never wanted to be without, but today she'd have to walk away without feeling those arms around her. He dipped his chin near his chest, looking back at her through his long, dark lashes. "Don't go too far. Kara… I mean it. You don't speak the language well enough and you aren't familiar with the surroundings. Stay close."

She gave him a quick wink as she tossed a diaper at him. "I will, Dad."

As she walked out of the apartment she could hear Sarah start to cry. A small grin crept over her face at the thought of Bucky on diaper duty. She skipped down the steps, making her way to the exit. The sun had just come up, giving the city around her a misty, orange glow. A man smiled her as he walked by with a cart of food, the newsstand across the road had just opened and the market was filling up with life.

She tucked her hands in the jacket, lowering her head as her feet followed the path from her vision. The vision of the man with the sinister grin came to her again and this time she meant to find out exactly where and what he was up to. That particular path lead to an abandon building with a dilapidated roof. Kara looked around the outside, before stepping through a door that was barely hanging on by its hinges. The sound of dripping water echoed back at her as she walked down a narrow hallway. Words written in Romanian were all over the walls, making her wonder what they said and if they were some sort of warning.

A light dimly illuminated a darken room just ahead of her as she approached it slowly. It was the lab she'd seen in her vision before, but it looked like a bomb had gone off from the charred remains that lay about. Her visions weren't always things that had or would happen, but a version of what could happen. Her mother told her once that her gift gave her the ability to change the future. Perhaps the plans Zemo had for the liquid they were making here had been set back or canceled all together.

A glint of light reflected from something nearby. Kara glanced over her shoulder, finding a tube of clear liquid rested up against the wall, somewhat hidden under a blackened crate. She wedged it free, smelling the contents inside. A vision came to her, blinding out everything but the view before her.

"If you can't make it more powerful, then I have no used for you. It's not working anyway. I was for certain he was in the city, but if that were the case this should have driven him mad by now. I'll find him myself, no thanks to you," Zemo tossed a round silver device up towards the ceiling and ran for the door. A bright light filled the room as the device exploded, killing everyone inside and destroying any evidence of what they were doing there. He stood outside looking at the burning building, clutching his cell phone. "I will find you and when I do… the game is on."

Kara caught her breath, as if she'd been held under water. "What do you want with my Bucky?" The face that had haunted her visions for weeks now was imprinted on her brain. If she were ever to see him again, she would put a bullet between his eyes.

It was more important than ever that she and Bucky kept a low profile. This mad man couldn't find him or their family, she wouldn't him take away their happiness.

With what little Romanian she knew, she headed to the market to purchase Bucky some plums and make them some breakfast. It had been a month since she'd fled the life she knew for a life here, in a country that wasn't her own. Waking up beside Bucky, wrapped in his arms and being devoured by his kisses would always be worth any price to her, for as long as she drew breath.

Walking up the stairs, she could hear a baby crying rather loudly. She ran up each flight, finding a woman she didn't know standing outside their apartment door. The woman smiled at her, asking her something in Romanian. Kara opened the door, finding Bucky walking back and forth with a screaming Sarah over his shoulder. "Come to mama," Kara took her child while Bucky handled the woman outside.

He came back in, running his hand through his hair. "She's helps at a daycare and wanted to know if we needed any help. I told her we're fine."

Kara placed the nipple of the bottle in Sarah's mouth, seeing the frustration etched all over Bucky's face. "Are we safe here? Do you think she'll tell anyone about us?"

"We're good here," Bucky walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her as she cradled their child in her arms. Bucky smiled down at his sweet little girl, wondering if he'd ever get a hang of being a father. "I tried feeding her, but she wouldn't take the bottle. I changed her diaper, tried walking with her… she doesn't like me, Kara."

Kara couldn't help but roll her eyes at Bucky. He pulled his eyebrows together, staring back at her. "She loves you. You're the only one that can get her to sleep and she stays asleep as long as she's lying on your chest."

Bucky gave her back the biggest, sweetest smile that made her heart melt slightly. She loved him more than life itself and just when she didn't think she could love him more; he proved her wrong. The fear that they would be found out or discovered, and their family would be torn apart hung over them daily. Bucky wanted to put fail-safes in place for that very reason.

In the weeks to come, he packed both he and Kara an emergency bag, placing his under the floor boards of the apartment and hers behind the fire extinguisher in the hallway. They both hoped they never had to use them, but Kara couldn't shake the feeling they would. She kept the fact she'd seen Steve in a vision, finding them in their home. All Kara could hope for was if that vision came true soon, Steve would protect them from whatever was coming for them.

That night, Bucky went over the layout of the city, making sure Kara knew every entrance and exit. If he were ever taken, he was going to make sure his girls made it out safe. He didn't have to worry about Kara defending herself or being about to handle a gun, she was in top physical shape and was well trained. There was no such thing as being too prepared, so he would make time every day to train with Kara to keep them both sharp. This wasn't the existence he wanted for Kara and Sarah, not at all. They should be in a house by a lake with green rolling grassy lawns and completely carefree. He was grateful Kara loved him as much as she did, but that too would be another penance he'd have to pay for later. She deserved better and if she hadn't fallen in love with him, maybe she'd have just that.

~~OO~~

Bucky sat on the floor of their apartment, the air a little cooler as it whisked through the window. "Come to daddy," he told his wobbly baby girl as she giggled loudly. Kara let go of her as Sarah took one step, then another, her toes bunching up and her arms flailing. "You can do it."

"I've been trying to get her to walk all day and you open your arms and there she goes," Kara smiled back at her man, capturing the look of love and endearment that lit up his face. He often bore that look when he watched Sarah play. She'd left her arms, saying Da-Da over and over until Bucky picked her up and tossed her in the air, making her laughter fill their tiny home.

Kara's eyes filled with tears as Sarah took the last step into her father's embrace, her little hands clapping as his hands held her gently and his lips kissed her tiny cheek. "Da-Da… "

"Say Mama, Sarah," Bucky could see the look in Kara's eyes and how just a little piece of her wanted to hear those words. Sarah was very much a daddy's girl, she slept near Bucky, only fell asleep for him and recently would only let him feed her. She had a stubborn streak just like her mother, one they found out quickly. Kara swore there wasn't much about Sarah that wasn't her father, except maybe her green eyes. That was the one physical trait that Sarah bore from her mother and it was the one that Bucky loved most. It was those green eyes that held his heart, kept him calm and called him home.

"It's okay, Buck. She'll say Mama soon enough. What do you have planned for tomorrow? I have to go to the market, if I'm going to make her a birthday cake next week. Can you believe she'll be one soon?" Kara stirred the pot of soup on the stove, looking over her shoulder as Sarah walked to her father again.

"Time has flown by for sure. I'll go with you, got a few things I want to get, too." Bucky picked Sarah up in his arms, stroking the back of her head as she rested her head on his shoulder. He had always hated the part of him that Hydra made, that they used to kill so many innocent people, but when Sarah rested her head there, the metal appendage finally felt right.

They had their dinner with Sarah falling asleep in the highchair Bucky had made for her. Kara watched the way Bucky gently lifted her out and placed her on the mattress next to their bed. He knelt down by the bed, stroking her head as he kissed her forehead. There was a softness in his eyes and a gleeful smile that covered his face whenever he looked at his little angel. Kara had seen that look on his face before, he'd sometimes get lost in her, but this was pure and utter joy that shined from his face now.

She cleaned up and joined him by Sarah's bed, taking his hand and leading him to their bed. Bucky's smile turned into a seductive grin as he sat on the bed, pulling Kara down with him. Their lips collide as his hands run under her shirt, gliding his metal fingers up the curve of her spine. Kara straddled him, her hips grinding down on him, feeling the hardness in his pants. She wrapped her arms around his neck as Bucky ran his nose up her jaw, licking around the shell of her ear. A shiver rolled over her, sending pulse after pulse of pleasure to her apex. Her panties are instantly soaked as Bucky pulled his hands from her back, placing them on her shirt and ripping it from her body. The cool air of the apartment breezed over her exposed flesh, her braless clad nipples automatically peddling.

"Bucky… I want you," she whispered into his thick neck as she placed greedy open mouth kisses there. She could feel the hum of his pulse as she suckles just below his ear. He bucked up at her, pushing his erection against her jeans. The rhythmic motion of her grinding and his thrusting was driving them both mad with want. Bucky's lips claimed her shoulders, his hands rubbing up her sides as he worked his way to the round, pert nipple waiting for him.

"Mine," he breathed out as he closed his lips over the tip of her round breast, making her arch her back. His tongue licked at the sensitive nipple as his hand worked the other one between his nimble fingers. Pangs of desire began to cover Kara, coursing through her body as the heat of her need settled between her legs. Bucky's metal hand eased down her side, over her hip and down to the button of her jeans. Pulling herself from his lap, she stood up and pushed her jeans and panties down to the floor as quickly as possible. Bucky reached out, letting his hands glide up and down her naked thighs.

Kara sat back down over his legs, watching as he pulled his shirt over his head, making the muscles of his arms and stomach flex. She bit into her bottom lip, wanting so badly to lick each and every inch of that chiseled chest. With the shirt discarded, he returned to running his fingers over the soft flesh of her legs, inching his way towards the ginger mound before him.

She shook her head as she unfastened his jeans and slowly slid her hand inside. Bucky lets out a moan as he twisted his eyes shut. "Oh… Kar… more."

Her fingers eased down his length, her palm curling around the massive girth. He stopped touching her, leaning his body back towards the mattress. His head tilted back, his mouth gaping open as her hand began to move up and down the shaft, so tortuously slow he began to buck up into her fist. A smile crossed her lips when she felt the wetness of his precum cover her fingers. She smiled back at him, knowing she had him at her will.

Stroking him a few more times, Kara leaned towards Bucky, letting her tongue return the pleasure he had just given her. Bucky opened his eyes, the blue now a dark brewing storm of lust and need. Bucky pushed her off just long enough to pull his jeans and boxers to his ankles. Kara pushed at his shoulders, sending him to the bed and climbs back atop of him. "Tell me what you want, Buck." He gave her a sideways smirk as he kicked his clothing to the floor.

Her ginger hair hung down, sliding over her alabaster shoulders and covering her breasts. Bucky's hand covered her cheek, his thumb brushing over her heated flesh. "You. All of you, Kar."

As she placed her wet opening over him, his hands gripped her hips, guiding her down until she had taken him in to the hilt. His fullness stretched her, sending a quaking so strong she thought for sure her body would come undone. A sudden jolt of pleasure made Kara light headed as she began to move swirl her hips. Bucky's fingers dug into her flesh as her breasts bounce while she worked her core up and down his massive length.

"Hmm… Buck…" His hard manhood felt so good deep inside her as he stroked her velvet until her skin prickled all over. Placing her hands on his chest, she thrust down hard, taking more and more of him inside her with each gyration. Bucky could feel the ball of tension getting tighter in his belly. His body was crackling with sexual electricity that was only generated by their union.

A blast of heat washed over the both of them, Kara's belly clenching as her core spasm so violently she began to shiver. Bucky felt her walls clamping hard around his cock, taking the bliss he was feeling and turning it into a mind blowing climax.

"Kara, faster!" he shouted out as his legs quiver underneath her, his hips thrusting upwards. A primal growl left Bucky's lips, snapping the tension deep within Kara and releasing the deluge of her orgasm, soaking them both. She fell forward against his sweaty chest, her core still pulsating as he pulled out.

Smiling and satisfied, Kara rolled over to the bed to see the most breathtaking vision she'd ever seen. Bucky was lying there, his chest heaving, his body glistening as he gave her the most beautiful smile. He was beauty incarnate, every inch of him perfection. She rolled back over to him, placing her lips at his ear. "This is how every night should end."

He gave her a little chuckle as he spoke to her in Romanian. "Sunteți respirația mea, lumea mea și tot ceea ce contează."

"What does that mean?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his long, dark, wet hair. He gave her another heart-stopping smile as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

"You are my breath, my world and everything that matters," Bucky closed his eyes, feeling so content in that moment he feared all of his would be ripped from him and his world would be plunged back into darkness.

Kara saw the frown lines in his forehead and stroked his cheek. "Remember what you told me. Even if we're not together, you'll always be in my heart. I take you and Sarah with me, wherever I got Bucky Barnes… wherever."

He kissed her lips tenderly, ready to have his way with his beauty again when Sarah woke. Her tiny cry echoed through the room, until Bucky stroked her little back. "Shh... my little love, Daddy is here."

As Kara dress and made some mashed bananas for her hungry child, Bucky went about trying to calm their bundle of joy. By the time Kara had the bowl of fruit ready, she turned to the bed to find Bucky fast asleep with Sara nuzzled up to his chest. She sat the bowl down on the counter, wishing she could capture this moment forever. As she slipped into the bed beside them, she couldn't shake the feeling something bad was about to happen. Her intuition was rarely every wrong and this was so strong she wondered when the ax may fall and ruin her happiness.

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 **Thanks for the support and the reviews. I will be including parts of CA: Civil War in the next chapter - spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the movie.**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: The following chapter may include spoilers from Captain America: Civil War - thank you for your continued support**

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Kara tossed in her sleep, seeing images of a man that morphed from time to time. The man from the lake with the laugh that chilled her blood mixed with the man with the sinister smile that was trying to find Bucky. Their faces were similar, their voices just a little different, but there was something about them both that she couldn't put her finger on.

She left the bed, leaving Bucky and Sarah sleeping soundly as she took out her journal to jot down the confusion in her mind. The museum pamphlet from the Captain America exhibit fell out and Kara tucked back in. Her mind turned back to solving the riddle before her. Why was her mind so perplexed and fixated on this man? Closing her eyes, she envisioned the man that called himself Zemo, the image not as clear as it was in her visions. It was as if there was a secret, some puzzle her mind needed to put together that was just out of reach.

Concentrating on her training with Wanda, she sat on the floor by the bed, tucking her legs under her and took a deep breath. As her eyes closed, she pulled the memory of that man from her mind, trying to recall everything about him. The vision of the lab she found was the first thing she saw then the man by the lake. The two faces mingled together, the small differences now showing themselves to her. They weren't the same man, but perhaps father and son.

Rising slowly to her feet, Kara tossed on some clothes, Bucky's jacket and ball cap and made her way across the hall to the lady that had offered her help to them before. She rapped softly on the door, trying not to wake anyone else up. The lady slowly opened the door, her brown eyes smiling back at her.

"I'm sorry... I don't speak Romanian very well," Kara hung her head, wondering what the hell she was doing.

"I speak some English. Come in," the lady opened the door, letting Kara into her humble home. The apartment was just as small as her and Bucky's but it had a more lived in look. Kara smiled back at her as she gazed at the pictures of all the children on her walls.

"Are they yours?" she asked, hoping she understood.

"No. Children I take care of. Would you like some tea?" the lady asked as she tightened her robe around herself and shuffled off to the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you. Do you own a computer I can use?" Kara's fingers twisted together as she waited in the living room for the lady to return.

"Yes. There by my desk. It's old... doesn't work... well. I'm Crina and you are?" Crina came out of the kitchen with a plate of cookies, setting them down on the desk.

"Kara. Thank you for your help Crina," Kara wasn't sure if being her was a good idea, but she didn't know what else to do.

"You are safe here. I know that look. My husband looked like that often when he came home from war. I understand. Take as long as you like, I must get dressed for work," Crina took the kettle from the stove, pouring a cup of hot water over the tea bag and took the cup to Kara. She gave her a smile as she walked towards the bathroom.

Kara lifted the lid to the laptop, wishing she'd learned more Romanian. Finding the start menu, she clicked and tried to navigate the internet. Her fingers flew over the keys as she typed in the website that Jenny had told her about, the one where all the Hydra files Natasha had dumped were complied. She looked at the search bar, trying to think of the correct words to find her what she was looking for.

 _Hydra operative Baron Zemo._

The words blazed back at her as she stared at them on the screen. Her finger clicked the mouse and the search engine went to work. Kara picked up the cup of tea, smelling it for any trace of drugs. Being on the run with Bucky had taught her to trust no one and always be cautious.

She was about to take a sip when the laptop made a pinging sound. There on the screen was a picture of an older man, not the young man from her visions. Her eyes read each word, memorizing each one as she completed the page.

 _Heinrich Zemo aka Baron Zemo, Commander of Hydra Special Forces. Worked on the Winter Solder project via the Siberia outpost. Was responsible for recruiting and training active kill squads and considered extremely dangerous. He was a highly decorated officer and skilled in the art of mind control. Was released from duty after his comrades in Russia were killed by the subjects he trained. He was transferred to an outpost in Novi Grad in Sokovia to aid in the research being done there. After marrying and having a son, he retired and left Hydra, settling in the small city near Novi Grad. He went into hiding after Hydra attempted to assassinate him, killing his wife in the process. SHIELD lost track of him, but still actively seeks him out for the knowledge he possesses on mind control. His work on the Winter Soldier project links him to the work Howard Stark conducted in 1991. No other files exist at this time_.

Kara sat back in the chair, her mind trying to process all that she'd just read. The man she met at the cabin in Canada wasn't the man she kept seeing. He was after Bucky, but why? Why not take him, then instead of taking her? She closed the laptop, wandering mindlessly back across the hall to her apartment, only to find a panic stricken Bucky looking out the wind

"Where have you been?" he stomped towards her, his blue eyes narrowed.

She wrapped her arms around him, making him go lax. His arms lifted to her waist to hold her back as she buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I just couldn't sleep and went for a walk down the hall."

"Having bad dreams again? You know you can tell me anything," Bucky kissed the side of her head, wondering what had her so rattled.

"Yeah... something like that. Can we just go back to bed now?" she let go of him, taking his hand and pulling him in the bed after her. She checked on Sarah, watching the rise and fall of her small chest and put away all thoughts of the mysterious man and his hut for Bucky until morning.

Resting securely in Bucky's arms, Kara drifted off to sleep. Bucky, however, laid there listening to the sound of his two beauties as they slumbered. Something was off with Kara and he knew her well enough to know when she was hiding something from him. He'd let her work it out and ask her about it tomorrow, for now he just wanted to enjoy the feel of her curled into his body.

The sound of Sarah giggling woke her, shaking her from the deep sleep she was in. "Morning, sleepyhead," Bucky said to her as he gave Sarah the last of the plums he'd mashed up.

"Morning. Did you let me sleep in?" Kara stretched her arms out, yawning widely as she climbed from the bed. After giving Sarah a kiss on the head, she gave Bucky a peck on the cheek and raced to the bathroom. The information she discovered last night started to nag at her, leaving her with a raging headache. She washed her face, relieved her bladder and got dressed for the day all while trying to ignore the fact that an Ex-Hydra Operative that was familiar with Bucky's Hydra programming had been after them.

She emerged with her hair slicked back in a ponytail, a smile on her face and need to just get out of the apartment. Bucky wiped Sarah's face, giving Kara a crooked smile as slipped on her boots and strapped Sarah's carrier over her chest.

"Don't you want anything to eat?" Bucky asked as he slipped on his jacket and gloves. He never left the apartment without them, always conscious of the metal appendage he bore. Kara didn't give his metal hand much thought, it was part of him and she loved all of him. It was, unfortunately, a precaution they had to take. No matter how safe they felt, they couldn't take any risks.

With Sarah strapped in, they headed out to the market, Bucky heading straight for the fruit stands to get his baby girl more of the plums and apricots she loved. Sarah reached out for him, as he held one of the plums up to her. "I don't know who likes these more... me or you," he bopped the tip of her nose making her smile.

"Oh, I believe it's a tie," Kara giggled out as she went about getting the supplies for Sarah's birthday cake. She noticed the woman bagging up her purchase was staring intently at Bucky. The way her eyes would dart back and forth gave Kara the impression she either knew him or knew something about him. The uneasy feeling from last night settled over her again, pushing this need to leave and rush home to the front of her mind.

"You ready?' Bucky asked as he thanked the lady in Romanian, taking the bag of fruit from her. Kara was acting very antsy and he thought now was a good time to ask her about last night. They walked back towards the apartment when a stuffed bear caught Sarah's eye. She began to cry, nearly wailing as her tiny hands reached out for it. Bucky stroked her dark curls, giving his ginger beauty a half smile. "Go back and get it of her... for her birthday. I'll meet you back at the apartment."

She gave him a kiss and watched him walk away, but she couldn't shake the feeling that sent ice cold jolts through her body. As she walked back towards the vendor, she could hear a commotion coming from the street above her. People were looking at each other, whispering and pointing, one of them even pointing at her. She walked over to the older lady that had sold her the flour and eggs, while trying to calm Sarah's tantrum.

Before Kara could ask the woman anything a pain ripped through her head, worse than any headache she ever had. The pain was so severe it nearly blinded her. Kara gripped the table closest to her, barely hearing her daughter's cries as the most vivid vision she ever had come to her.

Steve was standing in their apartment, warning Bucky people were coming for him. Bucky tried to convince Steve he didn't remember him, but Steve saw right through him. The newspaper article about the Winter Solider bombing the Accords in Vienna flashed in Bucky's mind and he knew trouble had found him. He didn't do it and he even told Steve he didn't do that anymore. That didn't stop the German authorities from coming after him and Steve was there to help. A canister came crashing through the window and Steve covered it with his shield. Bucky took off his glove, preparing for a fight and prayed Kara and Sarah didn't come home soon. Steve saw the baby blanket lying on the mattress and knew there was more than Bucky at risk here.

The next several moments flashed by, with bullets zipping everywhere. Steve was doing his best to keep anyone from getting killed as Bucky tossed the policemen around like rag dolls. He warned Bucky that someone was going to get killed when Bucky tossed him to the floor, punching a hole in the floor to retrieve the backpack he had stored there. He tossed it out the window to the rooftop below and made his way towards the hallway. There the fighting continued, Bucky using his super soldier strength to kick and punch his way through. He was doing his best not to fatally wound anyone but one man went sailing over the edge of the railing and luckily Steve caught him.

Bucky jumped from the staircase, using his metal arm to catch himself before ripping it up and swinging from it to the next level. He kicked the door open and ran down the hallway, jumping from the balcony to the rooftop. His body hit the edge of the building, rolling over towards the backpack and swooping it up. Just when Bucky was about to make a clean getaway, a man dressed in a dark cat suit literally pounced him. More bullets shot into the concrete around them from a helicopter above. Kara could see the bullets bouncing off the man in the dark costume. Sam in his Falcon gear flew by, kicking the tail of the helicopter, making it twirl out of control.

The strange clad man was out for blood as he battled Bucky until Buck got away and managed to jump from the building. Steve did his best to keep up with them as the three gave chase down the streets, eventually jumping down to a highway tunnel. Cars whizzed by, nearly hitting Bucky as he landed on the pavement. Kara stood there paralyzed by the vision as she watched Steve land on an SUV, pull the driver out and climbed inside. The man that reminded Kara of a panther wasn't easy to shake as he jumped on the vehicle Steve was driving, even giving Sam a good fight as he swooped in to aid Steve.

Suddenly, Bucky was on a motorcycle weaving in and out of the traffic. The panther man leaped from a car only to have Bucky grab him by his throat. The bike tipped sideways, making Bucky us his metal hand to keep him from crashing to the pavement. Kara could feel her knees buckling as the vision seized her mind, taking over all of her senses. She could feel the blood pumping through Bucky's veins, his heart hammering hard against his chest as he thought only of her and Sarah.

Kara sat on the ground, cradling her daughter as she watched Bucky, Steve and this new assailant tackle each other. Carnage and wrecked cars scattered out behind them as the police and government agents surround them. Her heart quivered hard in her chest while hot tears streamed down her face when she saw them shove Bucky to the ground and cuff him.

Sarah stopped crying, her little feet kicking gently against her mother. "Mama," the small babe said, breaking Kara from the hellish vision she had been confined in.

"Mama's here, sweetheart," she pulled herself up off the ground, trying to find her legs again so she could get back to the apartment.

"Miss... are you alright," a voice asked her with a tint of British to it.

"Yes, I'm fine," she looked to see a sweet young boy offering her his hand. She took it as he helped her up and walked with her a bit. Kara finally regained her composure, but her head was still aching. The pain was like that of a thousand tiny hammers hitting her repeatedly.

Walking up the stairs on wobbly legs, she made it to the fire extinguisher Bucky had hidden her emergency pack behind and pulled it free. She quickly opened it, finding the burner phone, money and passport that Sasha had made for her. She wasn't sure what to do, they had Bucky and Steve was in the same legal trouble he was now.

Kara looked up the stairs to see the twisted metal and empty shell casings, feeling her tears flow down her face again. She walked down to the cafe on the corner to collect herself and figure out her next move. Sarah was being oddly quiet, too quiet for Kara's liking. She pulled her daughter from the carrier, checking her over for any signs of injury. The little girl reached for her mother, resting her head on her shoulder and asked for her father. "Da-Da..."

"We'll get him back, Sarah. Mom will get him back," she flipped open the phone and hit the preset button for Jenny. Jenny answered it on the first ring, sounding just as panicked as Kara felt.

"Kara. Oh, thank god. Are you okay... is the baby okay?" Jenny's voice sounded so good that Kara couldn't hold back the heart wrenching sobs that had been building up in her.

"Help me Jenny... help me," Kara nearly dropped the phone as her entire body began to tremble. She could barely focus on anything but the pain in her head and the sorrow in her heart.

"I know everything. You don't have to say anything else. I know about Bucky. I know he couldn't have done this... not the man that loves my sister. Stay put, Kara. I'm on my way to Romania to get you and Sarah. I'll take you to Germany... that's where they'll be keeping Bucky," the phone call ended and Kara tucked her phone back in her pack.

Where would she stay until Jenny could get to her? If the authorities found out about her or Sarah, they'd come for them. Was this some plot from Hydra? No, Kara knew exactly who was behind this and she should have warned Bucky earlier. The man that called himself Zemo or his son, either way it was trouble. Kara was about to leave the cafe when her neighbor Crina walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm sorry I lied to you earlier. I'm not a daycare worker. I work for your sister Jenny. She hired me to find you and keep an eye on you and her niece. Took me a long while to find you, but a woman with a baby and a man of Sergeant Barnes description made it a little easier. Jenny just called me and I'm supposed to take you to a hotel. She'll be here soon. By the way, my real name Cora," the very clear Russian accent greeted Kara with shock and surprise. Jenny was good and working for Tony Stark had taught her a thing or two about being sneaky.

This was going to be the longest wait of her life, but she had to get Sarah somewhere safe and concentrate on clearing her mind if she was ever going to use her visions to help the man she loves. The life she found herself in was brimming over with lies, deception, and half-truths. Kara could feel in her bones once the light of day showed the truth that lay underneath it all, there would be a heavy price to pay.


	40. Chapter 40

Kara paced the hotel room, from the door to the window several times as she waited for Jenny to show up. Cora watched her from the bed as she played with Sarah. One thought wedged in Kara's mind and no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on something else, she just couldn't shake the fact they had Bucky and she didn't know what they were going to do with him.

She palmed the burner phone, gripping it so hard the plastic dug into her flesh. All she wanted right now was a call, a text from Jenny letting her anything about Bucky. She worried about Steve and Sam as well. Steve would die for Bucky and Sam was a good friend.

All of this was like some waking nightmare, one that she was trapped in. Once Jenny got here, maybe they could figure something out; make a plan to free Bucky.

"You're going to wear a hole in your shoes. Why don't you sit and eat something?" Cora pointed to the room service tray on the desk, but Kara's stomach was in knots. She couldn't think about food, but maybe a bite would help the pounding in her head go away.

"Alright," Kara said softly as she took a french fry out of the plate, chewing it slowly as she gazed out the window. Her eyes zeroed in on a black sedan pulling up to the front of the hotel. The doorman opened the backdoor, helping the passenger inside step out. Jenny was dressed in all black with her dark auburn hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Kara yelled for Cora to watch Sarah as she ran out of the hotel room, skipping the elevator and jogging down the stairs to the lobby.

She jerked the door open and nearly ran over Jenny as she walked towards the elevators. "Kara?"

"Jenny." The two sisters held each other as they both cried. Jenny spoke first as she wiped her big sister's tears.

"We need a little privacy. Let's go to your room and then we'll talk," Jenny took Kara's hand and walked over to the elevators, after telling the driver to wait for them.

When the elevator doors opened, Jenny pulled Kara inside and asked the couple that wanted to get on to wait for the next one. Kara didn't know exactly what to think of her sister's new look or her take command behavior.

Jenny turned to Kara, taking her hand and squeezing it tight. "I'm so fired, but I had to come for you and little Sarah. Steve told me what you named her. I understand why you ran. I get that now more than ever. Captain Rogers is in some deep trouble. There's so much I need to tell you, but first I need to know something. Did Bucky do this?"

"No!" Kara shouted, letting go of Jenny's hands. She stepped back against the elevator wall, giving her sister a very nasty look.

Jenny stepped towards her, but Kara turned her back to her. "Kar, I had to ask. I knew he couldn't have done this, but I had to make sure. I believe in him... in you and in the good man you know he is. Maria is waiting on me to contact her, so I don't have much time. I'm supposed to be gathering intel for Mr. Stark, but I had to see you first."

"What is all of this about? The Accords? The bombing? I need answers Jenny," Kara side stepped her sister when the elevator doors opened. She walked quickly to her room, knocking on the door for Cora to let her in.

As soon as the door opened, Kara ran to her baby girl and swooped her up in her arms. She swayed her sweet little Sarah, kissing the top of her head. Jenny walked in, tears filling her eyes as she saw her sister with her little niece.

"Is that... Sarah?" Jenny stood by the door as Kara turned Sarah around. "My God, she looks just like her father. Hello sweetie, I'm your Aunt Jenny."

Kara placed Sarah on her feet, holding her hands as she made tiny steps towards her. Jenny picked her up, smiling back at her while tears trailed down her cheeks.

"She's got my eyes, but that's it." Kara placed her arm around Jenny's shoulder, feeling a bit of remorse for being so bitter with her little sister.

"No, she's got mom's smile and dad's dimples, but the rest of her... that's all James Buchanan Barnes." The two sisters sat down and Cora left the room.

"We have a lot to get caught up on and little time to do it. I'll get you into the facility, but you have to stay out of the way. I trust that Maria won't tell anyone you and Bucky are... involved, but in case that information is out there, let me handle it. The flight leaves in thirty minutes so we need to get going. We have a few hours to discuss the particulars on the plane," Jenny gave her niece back to her sister and took her cell phone out of her jacket pocket.

"Jenny, just how are we getting there?" Kara knew that answer but had to ask anyway.

"Stark Industries private plane," she gave her a quick smirk as she sends a text to Maria. She saw the look of mistrust on her sister's face as Kara looked down at her phone. "You can trust me, Kara. I'll always put you and Sarah first."

"Yes, I know that, but will you put Bucky first? I doubt it. Get me to Germany and I won't ask you for anything else." The wall that Kara had built up with her sister was now cemented in place and she wasn't about to let it fall down, not until she had Bucky back.

"Have it your way. But you need to think of Sarah and what Bucky would want for the both of you," Jenny gave her a hug, seeing her words had an effect on Kara.

Kara closed her eyes as she nodded her head. Jenny was right, Bucky would want her and Sarah far away from all of this, but she couldn't just let him rotten in some prison for something he didn't do.

~~OO~~

The plane ride proved to be very informative. Jenny told Kara about the incident in Lagos and the Sokovia Accords that the United Nations wanted all the Avengers to sign. She went into detail about the Accords and what they meant to the Avengers. Kara wasn't surprised to hear Steve was dead set against signing and in turn so were Wanda and Sam. She gave her the details of the bombing in Vienna and that King T'Chaka of Wakanda had died in the blast. His son, Prince T'Challa blamed Bucky for his father's dead, leading him to be arrested with Steve, Sam and Bucky in Bucharest. She finally had a name to put with the black panther that she saw hunting down Bucky.

Jenny gave Kara a newspaper from Germany showing Bucky's face in some surveillance footage, stating James Buchanan Barnes, Hydra Assassin known as the Winter Soldier was wanted for the murders and bombing at the UN Accords meeting.

"I don't understand. He was with me. How can they have this footage of him?" Kara stared at the photo, seeing Bucky's face but knowing it was all a ruse.

"That's what we need to figure out. I'll go talk to Tony, tell him the truth, but I might have to tell him everything about you." Jenny took Kara's hand, giving her a pleading smile.

"If it helps Bucky and the others, do it," she knew it was the right thing to do and sooner or later they were going to find out about her anyway. Better on her terms than someone else's.

Kara waited until Jenny had finished to tell her about her visions and about the Zemo that came after them and the one she kept seeing. Jenny's eyebrows lifted up, the look of intrigue covering her face. She took out her tablet, one that looked like Maria's, and let her fingers zip across the screen.

"Baron Heinrick Zemo is dead, Kara. He died in Sokiva a year ago. I'm sure it was him you saw back in Canada, but he can't be the one after Bucky now. If he was after you, then he must want a way to get to Bucky. Let me look into this further. I'm sure there's some connection I'm missing," Jenny flipped through a few more pages on the tablet when Kara stopped her.

"That's him... the man I saw in my vision." The two of them look down at the screen, seeing Helmut Zemo, son of Heinzick Zemo and Sokoiva Special Forces.

"I think you just found the connection. If he blames the Avengers for what happened in Sokovia, then he'd want revenge and what better way than to use the Winter Soldier to get it. I think he's father wanted revenge of Hydra and since Hydra was essentially SHIELD, he wanted to end both of the organizations," Jenny's eyes went wide as she took another look at the photo on the tablet. "Oh... my... God."

"What?" Kara looked at the screen, then back at Jenny. The look of shock that made Jenny turn pale, started to worry Kara.

"Heinrick... why didn't I see that earlier. Steve said someone got to dad, brainwashed him into trying to kill you and kill himself. Dr. Heinrick... Dad's psychiatrists... this is him." The pieces of the puzzle where falling in place. Zemo wanted Kara dead, but why? Was it because of her relationship to Bucky or was it to lure Bucky out in the open? Why not try to get to Bucky when he came to D.C. to get her? Maybe he wanted Kara dead because she'd become a complication to his plan.

Jenny began to research Helmut Zemo in more detail as Kara tended to Sarah. Jenny made a file on her tablet, placing all the information she'd complied inside it. Kara felt a thousand times better about Bucky's chances and that she might actually free him for this wrongful accusation. He was a wanted man for the things he did as the Winter Solider, but that man didn't exist, not with her. Maybe she could get Steve and Sam free and together they could try to bargain for Bucky's freedom.

The wheels of the plane hit the tarmac and the pain in Kara's head returned with a vengeance. She was suddenly trapped in a room with Zemo as he sat across from Bucky with wide rimmed glasses designing his face. Bucky was strapped into some sort of maximum security cell pod, his body being held down with large, bulky metal restraints. Zemo held up a red book with the star like that on Bucky's metal arm branded on the cover. Bucky tensed up when he saw the book, knowing deep inside that his demons are about to be unleashed.

The lights go out, causing red strobe lights to flicker on. Zemo rose from his chair and began to circle the pod Bucky was in, using a flashlight to illuminate the book he was reading from. Each word seemed to cause physical pain to Bucky as he begged the man to stop. He strained to fight back against the soldier that was being awakened. Kara watched as Bucky broke free from him restraints, using his metal fist to punch through the glass. He wasn't Bucky anymore; the Winter Soldier had woken from his long slumber and was ready to comply with Zemo's orders.

"Mission report. December 16, 1991?" Zemo asked Bucky and he turned his face to him. His blue eyes were dead and his face was expressionless.

The vision faded before Kara could find out exactly what Zemo was going to make Bucky do. "Jenny!"

"You okay, Kar?" Jenny stood up, tucking her tablet in her bag. "We can get off the plane now."

"Somethings wrong... call and check on things with Bucky... please." The fear that gripped Kara was evident in her voice. Jenny took out her cell as she exited the plane. The news was exactly as Kara expected.

"You saw it, did you?" Jenny looked back at her sister, not sure how to tell her that Bucky had gone dark side. They made their way to the terminal as Jenny told Kara what she knew. Bucky had killed and hurt some people and he; Steve and Sam were now missing.

Kara wanted to cry, wanted to scream as loud as possible, but her body had become numb. All she could do was stand there, wishing her gift was stronger. If she'd had this vision just an hour sooner, maybe she could have stopped all of this from happening. "Goddammit, why can't I use this fucking gift to help Bucky? Why do I have it if all I can do is be a bystander?"

"I'm sorry, sis. Do you want to stay in Germany or go home?" Jenny walked a little faster to get to the car she had waiting for her. She really wanted Kara back in the states with Sarah and far away from all of this.

"No. I need to stay. I will not let this beat me. Wanda told me I have to embrace my gift, so I will. Do me a favor, sis?" Kara swallowed back her tears as she took Jenny's hand, stopping her movements.

"Of course, just name it," she smiled back at Kara, seeing the doubt and fear in her eyes.

"Get back on that plane and take Sarah with you. I can't have her in the middle of all of this. Send those files to Tony and get the hell out of her. I can't leave, not until I find Bucky and stop that madman. Please, Jen. Do this for me," Jenny was about to protest, but she could see Kara had made her mind up.

"Okay. Take the tablet and find Tony. I'm not sure if the files are enough right now. He'll need you to fill in the blanks. You need to find Tony and give him this, tell him that Jenny said I sent you to break a few eggs. I'll take Sarah back to D.C. with me. Kara... don't do anything stupid," Kara smiled at her, remembering Bucky saying that to Steve once upon a time.

"Stupid is my middle name. I love you Jenny. Take care of my baby girl and if I don't come back... tell her about me and Bucky... tell her that we love her," Kara kissed her daughter and gave her to her sister. Jenny gave her the keys to her car, the tablet and the key-card for the hotel she was staying at. Kara kissed Sarah once more, praying this wouldn't be the last time she'd see her.

"Be a good girl for Aunt Jenny. Mama loves and Daddy loves you, and we'll be back with you real soon," she slipped off her backpack, taking out her journal and handing it Jenny. "This is my life; make sure she gets it someday." Kara could tell Jenny was about to cry so she turned and ran towards the front of the terminal.

She got to the food court before her emotions got the best of her. Here she was with no plan, no idea where Bucky was and her powers were little use to her. If only she had more training with Wanda she could take control of her powers inside her. Finding an empty table, she sat down, burying her face in the folds of her arms. She was too tired to cry, too tired to think and too numb to be concentrate on anything but her sorrow.

She placed the tablet on the table, opening the file Jenny named The Truth. Her finger had just tipped the screen when she felt something hard sticking in her back. "Hello, Kara."

Turning slowly around, she saw the face from her visions. Helmut Zemo was standing behind her with a gun to her back. "What do you want with Bucky?"

"Revenge is best when served cold and how much colder can you get than winter. He will be the iceberg that sinks the Avengers for me. You will give me that and stand up slowly," Zemo pushed the gun harder in Kara's back, his jacket cloaking the weapon.

"But why?" she pushed a little harder, trying to find a way out of the predicament she found herself in.

"I think you know why. You'd do the same if someone took the ones you love from you. Don't fool yourself into thinking your Bucky is innocent. Far from it, actually. I'm only giving him the justice he deserves and in turn he will give me mine. Move," he shoved Kara towards a bathroom, checking the stalls to make sure they were empty.

"You mean to kill me," she squared her shoulders, clutching the tablet to the chest.

Zemo smiled back at her as he took the tablet, smashing on the tile floor and stomping the screen. "No. No more innocent blood. I've spilled enough of that," he took Kara's backpack, pulling out a banana and gagging her with it. He placed her in one of the stalls, tying her hands together with his belt and strapping the belt to the toilet. "I am sorry for making your daughter, fatherless. But we both now it's only a matter of time before you lose him anyway."

Kara sat there with her heart pounding, listening to him exit the restroom. She twisted her hands, feeling the belt cut into her wrists. "Help! Someone help me!"

Looking through the crack in the stall she saw the door open. "Hello," a familiar voice called out, the Russian accent sounding so much like Cora.

"Cora?" Kara called out, hoping her luck had changed. Cora swung open the door, with a gun in her hand.

"Good thing I came along. Jenny said for me to stay close to you. She knew you'd get yourself in trouble," Cora shoved the gun in the back of her pants and freed Kara from her restraints.

Kara picked up the shattered tablet, hoping there was a way to retrieve the information on it. "I need to find Tony Stark."

"You need to stay out of trouble. I'm taking you to the hotel and you're going to stay there. First thing in the morning, you're getting on a plane and heading back to the states," Cora gripped the top of Kara's arm tightly, making her wince.

As Cora dragged Kara towards the parking garage, her anger grew until she was ready to explode. All she could see was Bucky being used, that look of fear on his face as Zemo spoke those words one by one. A sharp pain ripped through her skull, doubling her over. Cora let go of her, watching as Kara's hands gripped her head. She squatted down, rocking back and forth as the pain intensified into this all-consuming agony. Kara could hear Wanda's voice telling her to give into the pain, let it be part of her.

She fell to her knees, her hands trembling as she squeezed the sides of her head. The pain pulled back, leaving her blind and deaf, no sense of anything or anyone. Kara reached out to find the pavement when she heard another voice, one she hadn't heard for a long time.

"Kara, let go. It's okay sweetheart. You have let go. The pain will go away when you stop fighting it. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, but mom is here now." Kara could feel her mother's hand stroke her cheek, as her soft words filled her ears.

"I'm ready, mom," Kara whispered out as Cora tried to help her up. Kara closed her eyes, seeing a white light pass before her eyes. She took a deep breath and felt herself falling backwards into the abyss of her pain.

Cora caught her, both of them now laying on the concrete. "Kara?"

As the pain faded a new awareness came to Kara. The white was her power and it flowed through her like water through the Nile. She opened her eyes to a new world, one where she was in control and her gift was just that, a gift.

"You're going to give me your gun and walk away," Kara whispered slowly as she rose to her feet.

Cora stared at her, her pupils dilating as Kara spoke to her. "What?"

"Give me the gun, the car keys and my pack and walk away," Kara smiled this time, each word laced with a new confidence. Cora blinked several times before doing as Kara asked. Kara couldn't help but chuckle as Cora walked out of the garage.

"That was easy," she smirked to herself, tossing the keys in the air and catching them. Her mind was now open to her and her gift was no longer locked away. Closing her eyes, she pulled an image of Bucky to the front of mind, seeing him the airport with the Avengers and a few others she didn't know, ready to go into battle.

"Alright, Barnes. I'll wait here." Kara looked at the parking garage, feeling the sense of being here before. A flash of Bucky standing outside an old VW Bug next to this column came to her. This was the right place and for once in her life, she had the upper hand.

* * *

 **Thanks for the continued support and reviews.**


	41. Chapter 41

Time crept by so slowly as Kara waited in the car. She looked up to the B6 on the wall, recalling the image vividly. She had the vision of Steve and the others being here, so now it was just a matter of waiting. Kara fought through sleep and hunger to stay put, not wanting to take a chance she might miss Bucky.

As she stared at the large location marker, a white van pulled up. Kara watched it from the rearview mirror, finding it odd that no one got out. She slunk down in her seat, keeping her eyes on the van, feeling for the gun in the seat beside her.

Her persistence finally paid off when she saw the VW Bug pulling into the parking garage across from her. She stepped out of the car, sliding the handgun in her jacket pocket. Steve exited the car first, walking over towards the white van. Kara couldn't take her eyes off of Bucky, seeing him alive and well in the backseat. From the look on Steve's face, Kara knew something big was brewing and she had to get to Bucky before that happened.

Sam and Bucky finally exited the vehicle, both of them looking a little weary. When she saw Bucky standing there with his metal arm up on the hood of the car, her heart nearly leaped from her chest.

Kara walked slowly towards them, seeing the man she loves just feet away. Bucky glanced in her direction, his eyes narrowing as he did a double take. "Kara."

Steve and Sam both look her way as Sam gave Bucky a very large smile. "Looks like Rogers isn't the only one getting some action today."

Bucky glared back at him as he walked over to Kara. Steve looked back over his shoulder, giving his friend a quick smile and a nod. Kara felt a small blush cover her cheeks as she tried to ignore Sam's teasing.

"Where is Sarah and why are you here? You have to go?" Bucky's voice was laced with concern and harsher than she'd heard him speak to her before.

"I'm here to help. I saw what he did to you, with that book... he's..." Bucky placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. His lips moved slowly over hers, leaving a tingling heat in his wake.

"I know. We're trying to get to Siberia to stop him. I can't do this if I'm worried about you. This is going to be a battle, Kara and you can't help," Bucky pulled away from her, but she took his hands and smiled back.

"Yes I can. I have a new gift. I can see the future, the past or the present just by thinking about, but that's not the best thing... Bucky, I can control people by telling them what to do," her eyes sparkled with excitement as she told Bucky her news. Bucky closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"Your powers are new and you can't be sure they'll work when you need them. Until you can control them and know exactly how they work, you can't help. Now, where is our daughter?" Bucky looked over at Steve and Sam as they tried not to stare in their direction.

"She's with Jenny. She's safe, I promise. Bucky..." she could see the frustration on his face, the hardness around the crinkles of his eyes and decided to take her plea to Steve.

As she turned to Steve, Kara nearly broke down in tears when she saw Clint and Wanda. "Clint!"

Clint rushed to Kara, giving her a welcoming smile and wrapped her up in a bear hug. "Should have known you'd be here, Ginger Snap."

Wanda placed her hand on Kara's shoulder, hoping to get a hug next. Kara did just that, thanking Wanda for helping her open up her mind to her powers. "Thank you, Wanda. Without you I wouldn't know what I was really capable of."

"You unlocked the potential I saw you in, Kara. But it's still very new. The gift you have isn't ready yet, but soon." Wanda had always told Kara the truth, even if she didn't want to hear it.

"I can help... I'm ready," Kara pleaded her case again, but it fell on deaf hears. Clint opened the van door, waking a man sleeping inside.

"Who's that?" Kara whispered to Sam and he gave her a crooked grin.

"Tic-Tac? Oh…just a friend, but you can call him Scott," Sam put an arm around Kara giving her a small hug.

The group went on talking, the new addition shaking Steve's hand and gushing over how awesome everyone was. Kara giggled a little when Sam called Scott, Tic-Tac, to his face. He looked over at Kara and told her it was a story for another time.

A siren sound as an announcer spoke something in German. Bucky looked over at Steve, telling him they were evacuating the airport. Kara could tell shit was about to get real just by the look on Steve's face. "Stay," Steve said sternly to Kara, his blue eyes burning back at her.

"No," Kara squared her shoulders, not wanting to use her new powers on any of them.

Steve walked over to Wanda, whispering something in her ear and grabbed his gear. Bucky walked up behind Kara, wrapping his strong arms around her. "I love you. You and Sarah are why I have to fight this. Don't make this harder for me, Kara."

She placed her hands over his, feeling the heartache resonating from him. "Harder?"

"Yes, harder. All that bastard had to do was say the goddamn words and I wasn't myself anymore. I'm a killer, a murder deep inside and I would have easily hurt you. Hell, I almost did once," Bucky couldn't look at her as she turned to face him. Her green eyes held so much love, love he was sure he wasn't worthy of.

"Look at me Bucky. I love you... all of you and what Hydra did to you, that isn't the real you. Bucky Barnes is a good man and that will never change. Let me do whatever I can, please," she kissed him softly, letting her hands stroke the scruff of his cheeks.

"Kara... can I talk to you?" Wanda asked with a somber look on her face.

Bucky kissed Kara back, hoping it wouldn't be their last kiss. Kara could feel Bucky's love flow through her, as if it was the wind around her. She was more in tune with him now than she ever had been before.

"Yes, Wanda," Kara walked around the side of the van with Wanda as Clint gave her a wink.

"You can see what has not happened yet, you have that ability. Use it, Kara. See what will happen if you come with us, then decide what should be done," Wanda stepped behind Kara as she closed her eyes and pulled the image of the impending battle in her mind. With a wave of her hand, a scarlet energy flowed from Wanda's fingertips and blasted Kara.

The image was one of battle, friend versus friend as they fought to get to the Quinjet in the hanger across the field. All the opponents were evenly matched, each strength being met with strength. Kara was running towards Prince T'Challa as he advanced on Bucky. She stopped, yelling for him to fall to the ground. He looked at her, cocking his black panther mask to the side and swing at Bucky as he ran at him from the side. Her powers weren't' strong enough to command someone so skilled, just yet. She closed her eyes, bringing all her power forward, ordering T'Challa to stop. Instead of the Panther stopping, Bucky did and T'Challa sank his vibranium claws into Bucky's chest. Bucky fell to the tarmac, dead.

Kara gasped as she came out of the vision, tears springing from her eyes. "You're right, Wanda."

Bucky ran to her, holding her in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Stay here, in the van. When all of this is over, we'll be together. Right now, I have to stop him from getting to the other's like me."

"Others? You mean there are more Winter Soldiers?" Kara looked up into his face, seeing the self-loathing dripping from his eyes.

"Yes. That's why he wanted to know about December 16, 1991. Kara, if I don't make it out of this, make sure Sarah knows I love her." Kara gripped Bucky's waist tighter, burning her face in his chest.

"You're going to tell her yourself. I'll stay here. I know it's for the best now. Buck... love you forever," she gave him one last kiss before hopping in the van. She knew this would be the hardest thing she'd ever do, watch the man she loves going off into battle, but if she went with him, he would surely die. Bucky placed his metal hand up on the window, mouthing the words love you, then walked over to Sam.

Wanda rapped on the driver side glass, motioning for Kara to roll down the window. She did as she watched Steve jog passed her in his Star Spangled Cap suit, looking very much the man ready for a war. As soon as the window was lowered, another plume of scarlet energy danced from Wanda's fingers, surrounding Kara.

"I'm sorry, it's for your own good," Wanda smiled over at Bucky as they both walked their separate ways.

Kara was locked in a lifelike fantasy where she and Bucky were living happily in Brooklyn with their baby girl. There was no battle, no war, no one coming to rip them apart. It was complete happiness and Kara drown in it until she was deep under Wanda's spell.

~~OO~~

A gentle hand rested on Kara's shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the reality around her starting to seep in. The life that she left behind in the fugue state of Wanda's bewitchment was one she wanted to cling on to. The world she was so harshly thrust into was one that greeted her with a stark coldness.

"Miss Bennett, are you well?" Vision asked her as he tried to wake her. She woke, looking around frantically for any sign of Bucky or Steve.

"Where's…" she wasn't sure if she should ask, since the last thing she saw of Vision was the future events of the battle.

"Captain Rogers and Mister Barnes? Gone, I'm afraid. They absconded in Mister Stark's Quinjet. I do believe Mister Stark has a few questions for you," Vision took her hand, helping her out of the van and into a dark sedan with tinted windows. She half expected to see Tony, but the car pulled out with her as the lone passenger.

When the car pulled up to the hospital, Kara's heart hammered in her chest. Vision had told her Steve and Bucky got away, but had Sam or one of the others been injured. She was greeted by Natasha Romanoff as soon as she stepped inside the hospital lobby.

"Kara… Jenny has told me much about you. The rest, I got from Maria. Walk with me, I think we both need to see Tony," Natasha smiled back at her, keeping pace with her as they made their way up to the fourth floor.

"What happened?" Kara asked, seeing a bit of sadness in Natasha's eyes.

Natasha gave her the shortened version of the events. Kara could feel her heart sink in her chest when she heard Sam, Wanda, Clint and Scott had been arrested. Tony's friend Rhodey had been injured in the fight and she more or less betrayed Tony by letting Steve and Bucky go. Kara had to get a moment to herself so she could concentrate on Bucky and perhaps see what the future held for him.

"Tony wanted to talk to you. You go on in and I'll talk to him later," Natasha sat down in the waiting room, nodding for Kara to go ahead.

Before Kara walked about, she thanked Natasha for helping Bucky. Natasha nodded back to her, the two women understanding the circumstances they found themselves in. Kara could tell Natasha held some of the qualities she did and took an instant liking to her. It was obvious to Kara that Nat let Steve go, because she understood that no matter what, Steve had to do this. This wasn't a mission to Steve, this was personal.

Tony was pacing the balcony when she walked in, his eyes on her instantly with such heat, she felt the blast from where she stood.

"I have so much I need to tell you, but let me start off by saying… Bucky didn't do this. I'm sorry about your friend, I truly am," Kara let her words ramble out before she lost the nerve to say them.

"We can't change what's been done, but you can help me find Rogers and Barnes," Tony placed his hand on his hip, holding his injured one closer to him.

"Take me with you and I'll tell you," Kara crossed her arms over her chest, seeing the flash of black from the corner of her eye.

"I could have you arrested," Tony counter offered, tilting his head down slightly.

Kara closed her eyes, pulling forward the image of Bucky and Steve inside the Siberia outpost. She tried to get more information, tried to see farther into the future, but there was a block in her mind, something or someone didn't want her to see.

"Bucky was with me the day of the bombing… with me and his daughter. We've been living a simple life in Romanian and Bucky's been trying to put his past behind him. Steve is right, Tony. Once you give over all ability to choice for yourself, you become a puppet. I hope you enjoy having your strings pulled Mister Stark, but no one is pulling mine. Arrest me if that will make you feel better, but before you do that… I have one thing to say. You can go fuck yourself," Kara turned to walk away when Tony caught her hand. He let go when she turned around, stepping closer to her.

"I know more than you think I know about you Miss Bennett. Your sister isn't as clever as she thinks she is. I know you can see him… his future. What do you see?" Tony stayed close to her, his body nearly touching hers.

Kara tried to see the future again, this time seeing Tony and Steve talking as Bucky held a gun on him. "I see you in a very sticky situation."

Tony was about to press Kara for more information when Nat walked in. Kara stepped back from Tony, collecting her thoughts before leaving Nat with him. Natasha whispered to her before she left, that someone was waiting for her downstairs.

Kara was a mix of emotions as she walked down to the hospital lobby. She was certain Tony was going to have her arrested at any moment. As she sat down, she saw a tall black man dressed in all black walking her way.

"Miss Bennett, this way please," T'Challa stood there waiting for Kara to stand, but she ignored him, remaining seated.

"You want to kill Bucky. Hell, you've tried to kill him and I have no doubt you'll try it again if you get the chance. Vengeance makes you weak. It consumes you until you're not the man you once were," Kara saw a shift in T'Challa's eyes, his face becoming expressionless.

"You are special; I sense that in you. I cannot promise you I won't seek out my revenge, but I will give you the chance to say goodbye to him. Come with me," T'Challa extended his hand and Kara took it, instantly seeing his future.

Steve stood by a window in a country that didn't look familiar to her. T'Challa stood beside him, looking very stately and royal. "You know if they find out he's here, they'll come for him."

T'Challa gave Steve a smile as he gazed out the window. "Let them try."

The vision ended, taking Kara's breath. T'Challa placed his hand on her shoulder, making sure she was alright. Kara looked back at him, knowing she had to go with him. "Follow Tony Stark and you'll find Steve and Bucky… and the truth."

* * *

 **Thank you so very much for your continued support**


	42. Chapter 42

The technology the Wakanda's own boggled Kara's mind. The small jet T'Challa owned was a thing right out of some futuristic novel. She climbed inside, touching the smooth interior and gawking at the control panel. The prince gave her a grin as he settled in the pilot seat, making her feel a little cramped in the back. He wore his Black Panther suit, ready for a battle if it came to that.

Kara took this opportunity to tell T'Challa about her powers and the link she shared with Bucky. He seemed more than interested in the clairvoyant side of her abilities, asking her if she could see the future for anyone or just Barnes.

"I've seen Steve a few times, but I think that's because he's linked to Bucky so profoundly. I've seen you, once. I'm not sure what me telling you about the future will change or even if I should, but I will tell you this. Your thirst for revenge will subside." Kara gripped the seat under her as T'Challa lifted the jet in the air.

"You are wise not to divulge the future. It comes to you for a reason and I believe that reason will be evident to the both of us very soon. I won't put you in danger, but I will allow you the chance to see him before I have my justice," T'Challa's mind was made up and there was no changing it with words. Kara knew from her vision that things will change, he will change, but getting him there would require more than she could provide. Her mother often told her, seeing was believing. It might take seeing for T'Challa to believe.

They were following Tony's helicopter when Kara saw the image of Bucky and Steve looking out the back of the Quinjet, upon the frozen landscape of Siberia. The smile on Bucky's face brought tears to Kara's eyes. He had missed Steve and it was good to see them together again. Steve didn't look lost anymore, as if he was finally home.

"We are going the wrong way. I know where they are and I trust you'll do the right thing. Steve and Bucky are in Russia… Siberia." Kara's hand covered her chest as she sent up a prayer that she hadn't made a horrible mistake.

The jet corrected course, flying under the helicopter and behind Ironman. They flew through the storm and thick fog, keeping close to Tony but not too close. Kara gripped the pilot seat, pulling herself forward to have one last heart to heart with the newly crowned king.

"I can tell you love your father and his death left you feeling lost in the darkness. I lost my father to a madman too. There is a man that wants to bring the Avengers to their knees and he's using Bucky to do so. Your father was causality in his plan, a victim just like Bucky. Before you do anything, please seek the truth. Zemo is the monster hiding behind a mask of grief. I won't lose Bucky, not after everything that's happened. I could probably use my powers, try to bend your will, but I won't. I have faith in the good man you are and in the good man I know lives in my Bucky," Kara sat back, holding on to the memories of Bucky and the life they had in Romania. She pulled the locket from around her neck, opening it up to reveal a picture of Bucky holding Sarah.

T'Challa looked back at her, his eyes darting from her face to the locket. "A man that is loved as greatly as you love him must have good in his heart. If you say there is a truth I have yet to see, then I will try to unearth it. Miss Bennett, you are a remarkable woman. I would love for you to study your powers in my land. You would flourish like a flower in the sun there."

"The only life I want, your highness, is to be a mother and hopefully, someday… a wife," Kara closed the locket, sitting back in the seat as the frozen peaks of Siberia came in sight.

The closer they flew to the winter wastelands; the faster Kara's heart began to beat. She had these gifts, powers to see the future and control someone's actions with just words, but she knew neither of them would get Steve and Bucky out of the colossal mess they found themselves in. Her mind turned back to Sam and the others, being locked up in some government prison somewhere. There had to be a way to free them, especially Clint. The idea of Laura and the kids being kept away from him broke her heart. This was one more injustice she had to bear, all because a madman sought out revenge.

As the jet lowered, Kara could see the Quinjet in the distance. She moved to climb out of the jet and T'Challa stopped her. "Stay. I told you I will not put you in danger. Tell me where I need to go and I promise to let you see Barnes."

Kara looked out towards to the swirling icy wind as it chilled her cheeks. Without trying too hard, she brought the image of Bucky, Steve and Tony to her mind. As they walked through the passageways of the facility, she told T'Challa what she saw and where they would be.

"They have just entered the building, so you need to hurry," Kara slipped back down into the jet, letting her fingers clutch the locket. All she could do now was watch the black of his suit slip away into the blinding white around them.

Her powers were growing; she could feel the energy coursing through her body, pumping through her veins. She wasn't sure if it was fear that struck the spark or her love for Bucky, but something was spurring the fire in her blood. Sitting back against the leather seat, she thought of nothing but Bucky and Sarah, of her friends sitting in some cold, metal prison and of the men inside about to face the evils of the world.

Kara played with the visions that once controlled her. She concentrated on different people, seeing their faces and their present or future was hers. First she saw Sam pacing a cell, the round room and thick bars looking like nothing she'd ever seen before. Ross stood before him, questioning him over and over about Steve and what he told Tony. Kara fought back her anger when she saw how they had Wanda wrapped up like some lunatic, an electrical collar on her throat like some savage dog that might attack. Scott was singing loudly, making his presents very know as Clint lay on the bed, his eyes holding so much sadness it nearly crushed her.

"When they get out, Ross will be sorry," she whispered to the coolness around her. Tony was on the wrong side of this and somehow she felt he knew he'd made a grave mistake. There was an empathy in his heart that bled like a freshly cut wound.

She sat there trying to envision what could possibly be going on inside, but the block from before still there. She tried to push past it, only to get slammed by it again. "Dammit!"

The sound of Sarah saying mama and dada filtered in her ears, her gentle laughter and the high pitched squeals of her giggling as Bucky would tickle her filled her heart with so much joy she was lost to it. She let the moments of joy with her baby girl take over her mind until they faded and she saw Sarah as a little girl, standing beside her father. Her long dark hair flowed down to her shoulders as the tint of auburn in it showed in the sun. She was beautiful with her high cheekbones, soft but defined jawline, a small button nose and green eyes that were the perfect shade of emerald. Sarah Barnes was ever bit her father's daughter, looking like the mirror image of him as she stood there holding his hand.

Sarah smiled back at him as she raised her hand, letting a white light flow from it. The image of a golden gauntlet appeared in the mist above her hand, the stones that rested on it resembling the one that rested on Vision's forehead. "Dad, it's coming"

The vision was gone and in its wake a feeling of foreboding that rattled Kara's soul. Something big was coming, something more powerful and menacing than anything this world had ever faced before and her little Sarah had powers that were stronger than her own. Coldness consumed her that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. Her skin prickled with goosebumps as the chill crept over her flesh and into her lungs.

Taking a deep breath, Kara pulled the latch to the hood of the jet and quickly exited. She landed on her hands and knees, her chest heaving as she fought to make oxygen fill her body. She was suddenly slammed to the icy ground when a vision of Bucky bathed in a bright light shook her, he was flying back away from Tony and part of his metal arm was lying on the floor. She rushed to her feet, trying to get to him. She could feel his pain, his agony as he lay there, the cybernetics of his arm trying to move as dark fluids dripped from the mangled appendage. Kara watched in horror as Steve fought Tony, his mind lost in the images of Bucky taking his parents' life.

Kara froze. Her feet, unable to move as she saw the footage of December 16, 1991 play on a screen for Bucky, Steve and Tony to watch. "Bucky... no."

She felt the deep sorrow and gut wrenching agony from Bucky as he had to watch himself beat the life from Howard Stark's body; then let his hand clasp around Maria Stark's throat, snuffing out her life as well. The rage Bucky saw in Tony's eyes only made the hatred he felt for what Hydra had turned him into, coil around him like a snake.

Kara stood there, watching as Bucky lay on the ground and his thoughts were to save Steve. He knew Steve would take care of her and Sarah, and that's all he could ask for. Two hot tears rolled down her face as she gained control of her feet again. She ran over the frigid terrain until she came upon T'Challa stalking up behind Zemo. T'Challa finally knew the truth about his father, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to exact his revenge on Zemo now.

To her surprise, she heard him tell Zemo he was done letting vengeance consume him. He leaped at the man as he placed a gun under his chin, using his vibrianum clad had to stop the bullet. "The living are not done with you yet."

T'Challa looked back at Kara as she walked over to them, her eyes blazing with a green flame. Zemo looked up at her, his eyes glued to her face as her lips began to move. "You will not run. You will do as I say. Walk to the jet with T'Challa and stay there until he tells you to move."

Zemo nodded his head as if hypnotized. His body went lax under T'Challa grip and he released him, watching as he did exactly what Kara told him to do. She turned from them and ran towards the Siberian post. T'Challa didn't try to stop her, he knew she had her own mission to complete.

When Kara entered the building, she saw Steve with an injured Bucky stepping off the elevator. She rushed to him, seeing the blood and cuts on both their faces. "Kara, I have to get him back."

"T'Challa is here, he will help us. Go, I'll be right there," Kara lifted Bucky's face, giving him a quick kiss. He forced a smile back at her as he grunted from his injuries. Steve braced Bucky's weight as they made their way out the building towards the Quinjet.

Kara rode the elevator down, feeling something steering her towards Tony Stark. She found him, sitting where Steve left him, his eyes glued to the shield he told Steve he wasn't worthy to carry. She picked it up and Tony stared at her, his eyes wide with wonderment.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he tried to correct himself. The battle between the three men entered her mind, blow for blow and word for word. Kara trembled with anger, her jaw clenched tightly as she stood before Tony.

"Take it. You wanted it. Just so you know this will never be yours. There will only be one man worthy of carrying it and you made him choose between this and his friend. To give this up makes him worthy, Tony. I can see it in your eyes; you would never give up this metal suit for someone you love... never."

They stood there looking at each other as a smile crossed Tony's face. He opened his mouth, but Kara shook her head, whispering for her him to shut up. His lips became unmovable, his words a jumble in his mind. "Take it. Leave here, but do not look for Steve or Bucky. Forget you know me. Go back and lead what is left of Earth's Mightiest Hero's and try to live with what has happened here today. I could tell you not to remember what the Winter Solider did to your parents, but I'm not going to. You need to remember it wasn't Bucky, just a Hydra weapon wearing his face. Goodbye, Mister Stark."

Just like that, it was over and Kara was in command of her powers. She knew it was the fight, the loss of Bucky's arm that was the catalyst that finally triggered her gift to its full potential. The block in her mind was so the events could play out without her interference, but was there another reason. That question was something she'd have to figure out later. She had to get to Bucky and Steve and make sure they were both alright.

Kara hurried back to the Quinjet, running to Bucky as he lay on a bench in the back. Steve fired up the engines when T'Challa entered. "You can trust me, Captain. I'm on your side. I will give you safe harbor and take care of your friend. It's the least I can do for my part in all of this."

Bucky's face was bloodied but his smile was still Kara's sun. "Hey there, beautiful. I knew you wouldn't stay out of this."

She moved the matted hair from his face as she searched for a first aid kit. Steve and T'Challa continued their conversation as Kara wiped the blood from Bucky's face. "You're next," Kara shouted up at Steve, who gave him a small smile back.

"You are safe to proceed to Wakanda. They won't be able to track you and I'll have my people return the Quiinjet," Kara reached out, taking his claw like hand. Her eyes softened around the edges, letting him know she appreciated his kindness.

"Thank you," she stood, wrapping her arms around him as he patted her on the back.

As soon as the Quinjet was in the air, Kara was patching Bucky up as best she could. She didn't know what to do about Bucky's ruined metal arm, seeing the jagged metal edges and cybernetic parts hanging loose.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as she rubbed alcohol over the cuts on his face.

"No... it's numb. Kara, you need to get back to Sarah and leave me with Steve. I know what I have to do and you have to let me do it," Bucky reached up, cupping her cheek as his thumb rubbed her skin.

"We'll talk about this later. Right now I need to take care of you," she wrapped gauze around his severed arm, giving him a sweet, slow kiss. His hand went to the back of her head, his fingers lacing into the tousled strains of auburn. She pulled back for them kiss, gazing into the blue that was always home to her.

"My mind is made up, but we'll talk, later." Bucky closed his eyes as her fingers moved softly over his face, wiping away the blood and kissing each cut and bruise she found.

"Buck, I know you don't trust yourself, but you'll be with me and Sarah... and Steve. We'll keep you focused, centered. You won't ever have to worry about being used like that again," she wanted to weep when she saw his eyes look away from her as doubt clouded them.

He sat up, his eyes still cast down to the floor. "You're wrong. I'm still dangerous and I will be until those goddamn words are out of me. Everything Hydra did to me, every person they had me kill, it's still in there and once he takes over... I can't stop him. I'm doing this for you, for Sarah. Let me do this, Kara... let me go."

Steve put the Quinjet on auto pilot and walked back to them. He squatted down in front of Kara, taking her hands. "Let me talk to him."

Kara placed her hands on Bucky's battered face, her lips tenderly kissing him. "If you love me and Sarah, you'll fight for us."

Rising up, she wiped her tears and walked to the cockpit. She could hear Steve's voice, the gentleness in each word as he spoke to Bucky. The love he had for the man he called brother was unconditional and it would be that way to the end of the line.

She sat there looking out the window, seeing the clouds passing by as they left the frozen land of Siberia behind. The jet was set for Wakanda, following T'Challa back to his homeland. Kara reached up to the console, pushing the communication button. "T'Challa."

"Yes, Ms. Bennett," he said in that lyrical accent she found soothing.

"I need my sister and my daughter with us. Bucky needs his daughter. Will you send for them? She's at the SHIELD safe house in D.C.," Kara opened her locket again, feeling the ache in her heart for the small face in the picture.

"Of course. They will be with you soon," the comms when quiet with a crackle of static. Kara waited by patiently, listening to Bucky telling Steve how much he loved Kara and Sarah and how he couldn't live with himself if he ever hurt them. The ache in her heart turned into a sorrow that threatened to swallow her whole.

"Ms. Bennett, your sister would like to speak to you," Kara sat up straight, turning the comms up so Bucky and Steve could hear.

"Jenny?" Kara spoke first, her hands covering her chest.

"I'm here. Sarah has been asking for her mom and dad, wants her Tata... I take it that's Romania for dad. She won't eat anything I've offered her, but she's been a good girl. King T'Challa says he's sending someone for us. I'm to pack a bag and meet his people at the airport. Won't Ross be looking for me, looking for you?" Jenny's voice sounded strained as if she was holding back her tears.

"Do worry, he's a king... they sort of have special privileges," Kara looked back as Bucky made his way to the cockpit, using his good arm to brace himself. Steve followed behind, keeping his hands out just in case Bucky were to fall.

"Jenny... she only likes fresh fruit. Mash up some bananas or plums. Don't take a taxi, use the bus. Any public transportation you can blend into," Bucky clenched his jaw, the pain starting to take its toll. She helped him to a seat as Kara let Steve take the pilot's chair.

Steve nodded back to Kara as she pulled Bucky down towards her lap, letting her fingers play with his hair as he rested his head there. Jenny's voice quivered as she asked what her next move was.

"Jenny... this is Steve. I know that airport. You'll want to head straight for gate H, it's where all the private planes come in. When you get to the desk, ask for Mr. Lee, he owes me a favor. He'll get you on the plane without anyone knowing. T'Challa will let us know when you're on board and in the air. Be careful." Steve sounded so sure and confident and it settled Kara's nerves.

"I will. I'm packing now. I'll see all of you soon," Jenny ended the call, leaving Kara and Bucky to worry about the safety of their only child.

Bucky wrapped his arm around Kara's waist, nuzzling into her lap. "I love you more than anything in this world, Kara. You and Sarah are my life, but if you could know what I know, see what I've seen, and feel as helpless in your mind as I do, then you wouldn't try to stop me. When we get to Wakanda, I'm going to have them put me back on ice until they can get all this out of my head. I'm fucked up, beautiful. I'm damaged goods and I can't trust my own mind. You want to save me... and you have. What I have to do, I don't do lightly. You and our baby girl deserve the man, not the monster. Until he's gone, I can't be with you."

Kara hung her head, letting her arms hold him back. The truth was staring back at her, a truth she didn't want to face. "Let me talk to T'Challa's people. If they are as smart and advance as I've heard, then they might have another solution for us. Give me that much, Buck."

Bucky nodded his head, agreeing to give her the chance to figure something else out. Steve took the jet off of auto pilot as the got closer to Africa. Wakanda was going to be their home for now, but would it also be Bucky's winter slumber again.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews and support. We are nearing the end of this little story and I hope you enjoy - to the end of the line.**


	43. Chapter 43

As soon as the Quinjet landed in Wakanda, a medical team was there waiting to take Steve and Bucky in for treatment. Kara was escorted to a waiting room as T'Challa had one of his officers' transport Zemo to the authorities in Germany. He needed to keep those in the CIA in the dark as to his part in helping Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes disappear. Zemo needed to be brought to justice for his actions in Vienna and the prince did promise him, the living wasn't done with him yet.

The tall, leggy dark beauty that had been assigned to assist Kara in anything she needed waited by the door. The people of Wakanda were all exotically beautiful and it made Kara feel a little out of place. She looked out the large, recessed window from the second story room to gaze upon T'Challa's kingdom. The jungle below was magnificent and the King's Palace was regal to say the least. The technology that filled the medical facility was like nothing Kara had ever seen before and that gave her some comfort that Bucky and Steve were in good hands.

Everything had happened so fast, too fast and Kara hadn't had time to properly take it all in. Bucky and Steve were on the run, Ross would make sure they'd be hunted down and the wedge between Tony and Steve may be resolved in time, but for now that friendship was fractured. She couldn't worry about any of that at the moment, she had to get her daughter and sister here and see to Bucky's well-being.

The beauty at the door approached Kara, her soft demeanor settling Kara's nerves. "Ms. Bennett, I'm Z'Kura. King T'Challa said whatever you need, it is yours. Your sister and child will be here shortly; until then may I have food or drink brought to you?"

Kara smiled back at her, shaking her head. "No, thank you. Any word on the two men brought in with me?"

Z'Kura looked down at the communicator on her wrist, moving her finger over the screen. "Captain Rogers has been treated and released. You can see him if you wish."

"Yes... take me to him," Kara walked past her to the door, waiting for Z'Kura to lead the way. The building was massive and the hallways wide enough for four people to walk side by side. The tapestry that adorned the walls told the story of the Wakanda people and of their great protector, Black Panther. Kara's eyes skimmed over them as she followed Z'Kura down the hall and into the slender glass elevator. The doors closed as Kara turned to railing behind her. She watched the kingdom below as it glistened in the setting sun. Kara looked over to Z'Kura, watching her elegant fingers move gracefully over the device on her wrist.

"Your sister will be landing within the hour. I shall send for you when she arrives," the doors opened and Kara was thrust into a room so white it nearly blinded her.

The top floor was a bustle of movement, people scurrying about as the equipment around them buzzed and hummed. The screens hanging on the wall showed Bucky's vitals, a full body image of him scanned into the computer. The screen that showed the scan of his brain intrigued her. They were trying to map out the parts that Hydra had damaged in their experiments. Kara cringed thinking of all the times she'd seen Bucky strapped into that metal contraption, the head gear lowering as his body trembled, waiting for the pain to being.

Kara looked around until she saw Bucky sitting on a table with people in white coats around him. She pulled a smile back on her face to stop the tears from flowing. He smiled back at her as they extracted the damaged metal arm up to his shoulder, giving him such tender and gentle treatment.

Steve stepped out into the hallway, his Captain's suit replaced with street clothes. "Kara, we need to talk."

Z'Kura left Kara with Steve, the two of them walking into a room surround by glass panels. Steve shoved his hands in his pockets, which was a tell-tail sign to Kara something was bothering him. "Spill, Rogers."

"He wants to go back under. I won't stop him and neither should you," Steve's eyes looked tired, but her never looked away from her.

"No. I can't... lose him. I'm not ready to let him go. What about Sarah? How do I raise her like that? Steve... I can't. You have to talk him out of it, he'll listen to you," Kara crumbled to the floor, her face wet with tears.

Steve knelt in the floor, wrapping his arms around Kara and holding her to him. His large hand stroked the back of her head as he tried to ease her mind. "I won't take this from him. He looked so lost when he came out of that brainwashed stupor. He told me how much he loves you and Sarah and how the last two years of his life have been the best ones he can remember. But if he were to ever be triggered and hurt you or Sarah, it would kill him, Kara. He has no control of his mind or his actions when he's like that," Steve pulled back from her, letting his hands hold her face. "I love him too, he's my brother. I don't want to lose him when I just found him, but I can't watch him struggle either. Love isn't easy... true love like yours and Buck's, its once in a lifetime. It's a love worth waiting for. When they find a way to get that out of his head, he'll be ours again."

"Are you sure? I mean... they can't find another way? He's been with me since I was ten and now that my heart belongs to him, how do I say goodbye to that? Do I sit in a room and watch him sleep as his daughter grows up, not knowing his smile, his touch, his laughter? You might as well pull my heart from my chest," Kara pushed Steve away and rose to her feet.

He reached out for her, gripping the top of her arm. "Kara, we can't be selfish."

Kara looked back at him, lost in a vision of things yet to be. She saw Bucky being placed in the Cryo chamber, Steve looking at him as the tube raised up and he closed his eyes. The mist formed around him, slowly lulling him to sleep as ice crystals crackled on the glass around him. Steve looked back at King T'Challa, watching as Kara cradled Sarah and ran into Jenny's arms. She fought to break free from the image when she saw Steve trying to rescue Sam and the others from the ocean prison Ross had them in. She saw Steve fight his way to the cells, when Ross stepped out of the shadows, shooting Steve in the back. The vision slowly faded and Kara blinked her eyes. She took Steve's hand, pulling him to the dark leather couch in the corner.

"You mean to break Sam and the others out of the raft, don't you?" Kara tilted her head, looking Steve straight in the eyes.

"I have to. They're in there because of me. Why? What did you see?" Steve studied Kara's face, looking into her green eyes for the truth.

She opened her mouth to tell Steve what she saw when a brilliant idea came to her. "With my abilities, I bet I can get you in and out of the raft without anyone ever knowing you were there, well that is until it's too late."

Steve's lips curled up in the corner, a devious smile spreading across his face. "Let's do this."

Z'Kura acquired someone to draw out the floor plans as Kara let her mind search through Steve's future. She replayed the events, each time slowing down the image to gain details of the things around him. She told him how many guards were on board, where they were stationed, where the security monitors were and how to disable them. She pushed her mind to its limits as she tapped into Clint and Sam's minds as well, seeing the prison from their point of view. At one point, it was as if Kara was standing in the middle of the raft, looking at it with her own eyes. As fast as she could speak, they drew and wrote down each new detail. Steve stood in awe of her as she described things she hadn't actually seen, but describe in vivid detail.

"You have to wait until Ross isn't there. Have T'Challa call him on some peace keeping mission. Get him away from the raft and then security won't be as tight. Steve, you need to find Natasha, she'll help you. Tony turned his back on her too. One more thing, don't give up on Tony. He's hurting and with time, he'll come to see you did what you had to do. I can't say I blame him for being so angry. He finally knows the truth about his parents and as much as that haunts Bucky, it haunts Tony now too. I need a moment alone with Sarah and Bucky before he goes back under. I'm ready to do what has to be done," Kara rose up on her tiptoes, planting a gentle kiss on Steve's cheek.

"I'll be here for you, for that little girl. We'll weather this storm, together," Steve kissed her forehead before taking the plans for the raft and leaving the room.

Kara sat there, feeling her powers flow through her. She was stronger now, in control and ready to test the limits of what she could do. She closed her eyes, seeing Steve going into the raft with Nat by his side. They secured the first level, taking out the guards without a sound. They moved like ghosts through the facility. taking out the cameras, the alarms and the guards. Sam turned when the lights blinked off to see Steve approaching his cell with a rather smug smile on his face. "Good job, Rogers." Kara grinned as the image left her mind.

"Kara... someone needs to see you," Jenny spoke softly from the doorway, putting Sarah on the floor and letting her waddle over to her mother. Kara turned, racing to pick up her little girl. Sarah let out a high pitched giggle as her mother wrapped her up, swaying back and forth with her. Kara didn't want to cry; she didn't want to mare this moment with any sadness at all.

"Mama's got you, sweetie. Let's go see daddy," Kara kissed her tiny head over and over as she walked out to the medical lab where Bucky was being prepped for Cryostasis.

Bucky gave her the biggest smile when he saw her walking into the room with Sarah in her arms. He reached out for her, the IV draping from his forearm. "Hey, sweetheart."

Sarah curled up on his chest, resting her head on the metal shoulder of his stump. Bucky rubbed her back as she babbled out some song Jenny had taught her. Kara stood there with Jenny's arm around her, watching as Bucky said his farewell to his sweet little angel.

"Sarah, look at Daddy. I have to go away for a little while. Daddy has to go to sleep so he doesn't hurt anyone else. The doctor's will find a way to make Daddy all better and then we can be together. I know you don't understand me, my little darling, but I love you so much and I'm doing this for you. Be a good girl for mom and Aunt Jenny. If you're anything like me, you'll have your Uncle Steve wrapped around your finger in no time. Take it easy on him, he's been through a lot. I love you so much and I'll be dreaming of you," Bucky kissed the top of her head when Sarah looked up at him, giving him a big bright smile.

"Daddy...," she snuggled into his chest, causing tears to drop from his eyes and roll down his face. He sat there holding her as they doctor's prepped the cryo tube, not wanting to let her go. Kara didn't want to ruin this moment for him, so she sat down across her two loves, letting him have this time with their daughter.

Jenny walked up behind her, taking her hand. "You need to talk to him, Kara. Don't let him go without telling him you love him."

Kara shook her head, trying to search her mind for a way to get Bucky out of this predicament. The room was too busy and seeing Bucky with Sarah only made the noise in her head worse. She closed her eyes and rose to her feet, placing her hands over her ears. "I need a moment."

She raced down the hall, to the room Steve was studying the raft map in. "Kara, come here."

Steve took her hand and sat her down, placing his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, taking several cleansing breaths. The white light that came to her when her powers emerged was there again. It cloaked her mind in a soft light that blinded out all her other senses. She couldn't see or hear, just the soft coolness of the white light all around her. She found herself standing in a room void of any color. Looking around, she saw Bucky standing there, his metal arm intact. His smile was that of a man free from his demons and in control of his life. Sarah walked out behind him, her little curls hanging around her cheeks. She walked towards Kara, her little hand reaching for her mother. Kara took in and in that moment, she knew exactly what she had to do.

Kara... talk to me. Are you okay? Kara, please don't do this to me," she came back to herself as Steve shook her shoulders. He let out a heavy sigh as she fluttered her eyes. "Dammit, you scared the shit out of me."

"Captain, language," she giggled back at him, feeling the sorrow and sadness lift from her chest.

"You went limp, like you fainted or died. I felt for a pulse... Kara... you didn't have one," he leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes as he rubbed his hand down his face.

"I'm alright, Steve. Come one, we both need to see Buck." she took Steve's hand, holding it tightly as they made their way back out to the cryo room.

Bucky was handing Sarah to Jenny as he wiped the last of his tears away. He held his hand out to Kara, doing his best to keep a smile on for her. "Hey there, beautiful."

Kara walked up to him, leaning against the table between his parted legs. With a smile she took the locket from around her neck and placed it over his. She cupped the back of his head with her hand as their foreheads touched. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do... but this world and our daughter needs you. Don't ever forget, I love you."

Bucky lifted his eyes just in time to see Kara's green eyes close. She placed her hands on the sides of his head, holding on as his hand gripped her wrist. Bucky tugged, but she held on as she emptied her mind and merged with his. As soon as she engaged his memories, she looked for the words that Hydra had used to waken the Winter Soldier.

The words were tangled into memories, ones of torture, of coldness, of emptiness and she clawed through them until her mind was latched on to each one, hooking them and pulling them into her. All his memories of agony, pain, torture and brutality slowly seeped from his mind, trickling into hers. Bucky shook violently, his head tossed back as she took the words that made his prison and locked them deep into her mind.

Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight Car. The last word locked into her mind, spiraling her into convulsions on the floor. Bucky leaped from the table, his hand catching her head before it crashed to hard marble floor. As Kara sank into the torture of those words, she could hear Bucky screaming for someone to help her.

~~OO~~

"Help her!" Bucky screamed as he watched the woman he loves convulse on the floor, her once bright green eyes now rolled back in her head as he held her.

Jenny gripped Sarah to her and raced from the room as Steve rushed to Bucky's side, helping him lift her to the table. "What did she do?" Steve asked Bucky, trying to hold Kara's legs down.

A doctor rushed in, taking Kara's vitals, waving for more of his team to come in. Steve gripped Bucky's shoulder, pulling him away from Kara. Bucky's fingers slowly slipped from Kara's trembling hand, his blue eyes glued to her face.

Steve stood before him with his hands on his hips, his brow pulled together. Bucky hung his head, feeling the flood of emotions hitting him. His mind hadn't been this clear, this free in years and he was finding it hard to remember the things Hydra did to him.

"She… she… set me free. It's gone, all of it. She took it, Steve. Kara took it all. The words, the pain… the monster. Oh God… Steve," Bucky lifted his teary blue eyes to look at his brother, his best friend as the realization that what Hydra had made him was now locked in Kara's mind.

Steve reached out, placing his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I underestimated her. She loves you, and she'd do damn near anything to save you. Even if that means damning herself. You know what has to be done, Buck."

Bucky's eyes went wide, his hand palming his face. "Why? I was ready to go back under. I needed to go back under. She should have let me. Why does she have to be so fucking stubborn?"

Steve stared back at him, not sure what to say to ease his friend's mind. The love and adoration that Kara just displayed in the other room still had him in awe. She was willing to give up her life to save the man she loves and give Bucky a life with his daughter. The look on Bucky's face squeezed at his heart, so much so all he could do was hug him.

Bucky hugged him back, thanking him for always being his rock. Steve nodded back at him, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. There were no words to help ease Bucky's pain, so he just stood there. He watched him pace the room, ready to punch the wall.

T'Challa walked in, his face looking as long as theirs did. "Barnes… the doctor needs to speak to you."

Bucky pushed past them with Steve and the king on his heels. He rushed in, seeing his beauty lifeless on the table. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked at her, her skin too pale.

"Is she…" his eyes closed as he braced for whatever it was the doctor was about to tell him.

"No. We sedated her for now, but she's not well. We have many skilled people, some that study medicine, some that study the mystic world around us. She's special, an enhanced being with very special abilities. She did what we could not, but in doing so, she took in more than her mind could handle. Years of conditioning by Hydra all at once. She'll die if we don't keep her under sedation. You were a mystery to us, but we were confident with time we'd be able to deprogram you. She, however, is more than anyone of can treat. Her powers mixed with your programming, her mind is at war with itself and she'll either go mad or succumb to the torment and her body will give out. I'm sorry but our only option now is stasis." The doctor looked over to his king as he handed him the tablet with Kara's vitals on it.

T'Challa approached Bucky, showing him the scan of Kara's brain. "She's stronger than they know. I had the chance to talk with your Kara. She can do this and we both know it. Let them put her under, give her time to heal herself and my people will do what they can for her. She is a force to be reckoned with and I have no doubt she will emerge from this slumber stronger."

Bucky couldn't speak, his heart was too burden to utter a single word. He went to Kara, taking her hand and hold it to his face. "I wish you would have walked away from me, then you wouldn't be here right now. I told you loving me wasn't a good idea, but you did it anyway. Dammit, Kara… why did you do this… why are you leaving me?"

He looked over at Jenny as she walked in with Sarah, his baby girl's green eyes smiling brightly back at him. "Momma."

Jenny placed her on the table next to Kara's limp body, letting her cuddle up to her mother. Steve stood behind him, placing his hand on his back. "I'm sorry, Buck."

"She's not gone… just sleeping. Come back to me, my love," Bucky kissed Kara tenderly on her soft lips, letting his tears fall on her cheeks. "Come back to both of us."

As he lifted Sarah up in his arm, the little girl kissed her mother's cheek and waved goodbye to her. Bucky was so close to losing it, if not the precious gift Kara gave him in his arms now, he would have ripped the room apart.

"Do it," Steve said to the doctor as he led Bucky with Sarah out of the room. They began to prep her for the cyro chamber.

Bucky sat in the floor, playing with Sarah as if the love of his life wasn't about to be put on ice. Steve sat in the floor with them, watching as Bucky picked up the building blocks after she'd push them over. She'd clap her little hands and Bucky would smile back at her, helping her stack the blocks back up.

"You can leave; you don't have to do this. I can make sure they do everything right," Steve looked back at Bucky through his lashes as Sarah crawled over to him .

"No, I need you to stay here with her," Bucky rubbed the back of Sarah's head before he reached over to take Jenny's hand.

They had Kara in the tube, strapped to the bed when they entered. Bucky stood there with Jenny as the doctor pushed the button to raise the glass and in an instant it filled with mist and ice. Jenny walked over, placing her hand on the glass.

"I'm kicking your ass for doing this when they wake you," she wiped her tears and walked away.

Bucky looked at her pale face, her red lips and wondered when he'd get to feel them again. He placed his hand on the tube, resting his forehead there. "Sunteți respirația mea, lumea mea și tot ceea ce contează."

Steve came in chasing a giggling, running Sarah. She stammered over to her mother, looking up at her father. Bucky squatted down, placing his hand over her small one as it rested against the cyro tube. Something akin to electricity zapped through his hand, up his arm and seized his brain. The vision of Sarah touching her mother's face flashed in his mind, her frozen flesh thawing out as her fingers twitched to life. Her green eyes open as she stared back at her little girl and the love of her life. Bucky's smile covers his face as his heart races beneath his chest. Kara was waking and Sarah had held her.

Just when he thought the vision was fading, he saw even further into the future. Kara was standing in a long, satin white dress with her hands cradling her baby pump. He wrapped his arms around her as they watched Sarah in a field catching butterflies. "I got an early wedding present for you, Mr. Barnes."

"And what would that be?" he kissed her cheek, as he rubbed her belly. Kara chuckled as she placed her hands over his. He tucked his chin in the crook of her neck, pulling her tighter to him.

"You have to honor your bet with Sam," she giggled again, cocking her head to gaze back at him.

"Oh… no. I am not naming our son, Samuel," he chuckled back at her with a gleeful grin.

"Well, not his first name anyway. Grant Samuel Barnes," she turned to face him, letting her finger tips touch his face as her lips devoured his.

Bucky was pulled from the vision, the images and words still very fresh with him. "Thank you baby girl."

Steve stared at him as he puzzled what could make Bucky smile like that. "Buck?"

"Sarah is her mother's child and she'll bring us all back together… soon."

~ The End ~

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 **Thank you for taking this journey with me and thank you for the support and the reviews.**


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